The New Girl
by MuchachaBonita
Summary: The first time I met her my heart skipped a beat. She was perfect, and exactly as I'd envisioned her. That's when I knew. I knew the new girl was mine. My Querida.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: The first time I met her, my heart skipped a beat, and my breath caught in my throat. She was…perfect and exactly as I'd always envisioned her. That's when I knew. I knew the new girl was mine; my Querida.

Disclaimer: You all know the deal; I don't own the characters, Meg Cabot owns them.

A/N: enjoy and review please!

Chapter 1 

"Querida" I mumbled into her flowing, beautiful hair. She was close to me, held tightly in place by my arms encircled around her waist. She held onto me tightly as well, as if never wanting to let go.

"I'll see you in school on Monday, Jesse" she said, almost teasing me.

"That's too long from now" I cooed. I know, Jesse De Silva, cooing, but she made me this way. All mussy, and frankly, I enjoyed it.

"Well, you're going to call me when you get home, plus tomorrow you said you'd explain my chemistry homework to me" she replied. I could tell she was smiling, and not just because her lips were dangerously close to my neck.

"Alright, I'll call you later" I whined before getting out of my car, and going to open her door. "Thank you. I love you, Jesse."

"I love you too, Querida."

I got back into my car, and smiled as I watched her saunter up the path to her house. She often did this to tease me, saunter away I mean. Seeing her walk so confidently; swaying her hips, and in a sense strutting for me, made me happy.

When she was safely inside her house I started my car, and drove the few blocks to my house, all the while thinking of my Querida. After quietly making my way into my room, I opened the top drawer of my nightstand, and pulled out a small black box. Inside was my grandmother's engagement ring; my father had given it to me once he noticed how I looked at my Querida. The ring was beautiful; a simple white gold band with a medium sized diamond in the middle, and two smaller emerald stones beside the diamond.

"Soon" I whispered to myself, "soon."

A/N: I know short, but I promise the next chapter is longer. I know this for a fact because I already wrote it, so go read on, and hope you like. -Lauren


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

"Father Dominic" I said trying to get his attention, as I walked into his office.

"Awh, Jesse come in, come in" he ushered me.

"Father, I had another dream…about, HER" I blurted anxiously.

"The same one, or new one?" he asked, looking intrigued.

"It was a new one" I replied sheepishly.

"Well, Jesse I honestly don't know what to tell you. In the dream, can you still not see her face?"

"No, just her eyes. Green and radiant, like two sparkling emeralds" I answered.

"And still no name? Surely you know her name…at least by now"

"No, I just call her 'Querida" I said, smiling slightly.

"Well, what happened in the dream? You said it was a new one, correct?"

"Yes, it was a new one. We were hugging…outside of her house. The way she held me, it felt so…real."

"That's all? In the other dreams, you talked, and…well, did other things you said" he was being very careful with his choice of words. I knew why, too.

For months now this mystery girl, my 'Querida' had haunted my dreams, not that I really minded. She was wonderful, to say the least. Her laugh was infectious, and she was very intelligent. Not to mention, extremely attractive, well shape wise, seeing as how I can never really see her face. All I can see is her body, her hair, and her eyes. Her eyes were breath-taking. In my dreams I'd always get lost in her eyes, and even in my waking hours, her eyes plagued my thoughts. This woman, apparently my girlfriend whom I refer to as my 'Querida', was quite amazing. Why I called her 'Querida', was beyond me. I'd never called anyone that. I may not have much experience in the dating world, but I have had a few girlfriends, and never had I even considered calling them Querida.

Suddenly my happy thoughts of my 'Querida' were interrupted by Father Dominic: "Jesse, oh my look at the time, you should be heading off to homeroom. Wouldn't want you to be late on your first day as a senior." His expression assured me, of what I'd always suspected; Father Dominic was proud of me. And why not, I spoke to him more often than I spoke to my father, who was always away on business. Father Dominic was quite a mentor to me; always helping me develop my mediator abilities, and stay on top of my school work. Plus the counseling he's been giving me since about the eighth grade, when he discovered I could see and speak to the deceased.

I quickly said good-bye, and made my way out of his office. As I was leaving the main office all together I noticed my best friend, seated by the secretary.

"School hasn't even started yet, and you're already in trouble. Adam what did you do this time?" I questioned, amused by his predicament.

"Nothing, I just…I wasn't alone. CeeCee should be in here too. It's not like I can get caught making out by myself. Besides, we weren't you know, tongue wrestling, just kissing, a little" he admitted, blushing.

I chuckled, but then remembered I had to get to homeroom, so I quickly darted towards Mr. Ochoa's classroom.

I was only about 10 seconds late, so Mr. Ochoa just laughed and said he'd let it slide this once. As the announcements were being read, and roll taken my thoughts returned to my Querida. I hadn't noticed that homeroom was over until Mr. Ochoa came over and told me I'd better get to my first period. Mrs. Walker, the new AP Calculus teacher, was very strict and loved being in control. I sat next to Kevin, an acquaintance of mine from Student Council, and prepared for Mrs. Walker's lecture.

"Yo, Jesse. Dude, have you seen the new girl?" he asked, sounding a bit like a Muppet.

"What new girl?" I asked, a little surprised Father Dominic had failed to mention this new student.

"Oh, dude she's totally smokin'! I saw her show up with my man Brad, but that dumb ass didn't even glance in her direction, after they got out of his car. But yeah, she's **fine**!"

"Wait, Brad Ackerman?" I asked, suddenly very confused by his awkward speech patterns.

"Yeah, you know, he's on the wrestling team. And that one chick is always after him…Debbie something" Kevin answered.

"Oh, right" I replied.

After that Kevin finally stopped talking about this new girl, and I actually managed to take notes on Mrs. Walker's lecture. Right before class ended she passed back some worksheet packets to complete for homework, and then dismissed us to second period.

I immediately went to my locker, and then to find Adam for our next class.

"Jesse, you have to see the new chick!" he exclaimed, as we made our way to Mr. Walden's room.

"Wait, you've seen her? When?" I asked, truly baffled.

"Better. I met her. She's a total babe, plus she's got a wicked sense of humor" Adam bragged.

"When?" I asked again.

"This morning in the front office, like right after you le-"

"Adam!" a girl's voice called. She sounded so familiar, but I couldn't place her voice. Adam and I both turned around to see who could be calling his name so sweetly.

Gasp 

'_Querida?'_

It was her, it had to be. Those curves, I could never forget. Her silky hair, swaying in the breeze. And then her eyes. My heart literally skipped a beat. She came over, sauntering, which made me long to touch her. She smiled at both Adam and I, before asking "Adam, can you help me find Mr. Walden's classroom? I have U.S. History next period, and I'm completely lost."

I stared at her in awe. _'She's here. I'm not dreaming, she's here!'_

"Yeah, me and Jesse have that same class, come on I'll escort you" Adam said holding out his arm. She took his arm, and gave him a gracious smile, before turning to face me.

"Hi" she cheerfully said.

"Umm…hi" I responded. _'Great. Good job De Silva, that intelligent response will really woo her.'_

She giggled a little, and held out her hand. "Suze, Suze Simon" she stated, very business-like.

I shook her hand, and tingled at the mere touch of her delicate hand. "Err- Jesse…De Silva. Jesse De Silva."

"Don't worry about him, he's normally a little nervous around pretty girls. But this, is quite a surprise, I don't think I've ever seen him so brain dead. Most be the oh-so-lovely company" Adam, teased.

I shot him a warning glare, but he didn't even flinch.

"It's nice to meet you, Jesse" she replied, smiling at me rather seductively, before letting go of my hand.

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine." _'There you go! How did I think of that? Oh, well it was charming, and she's blushing. That must be a good thing."_

She turned back towards Adam, and they started off to our next class. I trailed after them nervously, trying to calm my racing heart. _'It's her! Those eyes! It is definitely her. But…why have I been dreaming of her? Almost four months ago I had my first dream about her. Ever since that night, she's invaded my mind night and day. Her name, I finally had a name and a face to put with my image of her. Must be short for something though, Suze? I-"_

"Yes?" she asked me as we walked into Mr. Walden's classroom. I looked at her, not quite understanding what had just happened.

"What?", was my ever-so-clever response.

"You said my name."

"I…I did?" I asked, thinking back. _'No, no I'd thought her name'. _I looked right at her and thought it again;_ "Suze."_

She gasped, and looked at me strangely, before Mr. Walden pulled her aside. I practically raced to an empty seat in the back, by the window. Adam sat in the next row to my right, and one desk ahead of me. Mr. Walden then introduced the class to Susannah. _'Susannah, such a beautiful name, it suits her perfectly.' _

At that moment she blushed, and sat down in the desk in front of me. _"Thank you"_ I heard seconds later in my head.

That's when I realized she could hear my thoughts. '_Nombre de Dios! This is NOT good! What if she heard me thinking about her when I first saw her.'_

"_Why, what were thinking?" came her sweet voice resounding in my head._

'_Umm…nothing, just that…you're…well, you're very…no, the most…'_

"_I hope the ends of these sentences are good" she teased playfully._

"_They are" I replied, sounding a little flirtatious._

"_Oh really?" she questioned in an amused tone._

"_Yes, I was thinking…well, I was thinking that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on." 'Oh God, she can hear that! It's too early for this kind of emotional stress. I need coffee.'_

_I heard laughing in my head, and then she replied, "Why thank you Mr. De Silva. You just made my day. And since I'm stressing you out so much, I'll buy you the coffee you so desire."_

"_Oh, no there's no need…you don't have to, really. I'll treat, and we can both get coffee. Deal?" I asked, again sounding rather flirtatious._

"_Okay, sounds great. And just to ease your stressed mind, I can only hear the thoughts pertaining to me. So clearly you haven't mastered the art of blocking off your thoughts."_

"_How do I do that? And…how do you know how?" I asked try to sound calm and collected. While also attempting not to think of Susannah._

"_Jesse, haven't you noticed how you can only hear my thoughts, when I'm communicating with you?" she asked, sounding very coy._

"_Well, yes…sort of." I replied._

"_I can assure my mind is almost never silent, but because I know how to block people from hearing my thoughts, all you hear is what I want you to" she said wisely._

"_Well Master Jedi, can you teach me that thought blocking thing?"_

She laughed again, only this time she let a little of it come out so everyone could hear. Adam looked over at me, eyeing my curiously. I simply shrugged my shoulders, and pretended to be listening to Mr. Walden.

"_Maybe later, right now I'm rather enjoying your thoughts" she said, giving her hair a little flip._

'_Great, I have to control my thoughts! Especially the ones about Susannah.'_

"_Suze" she corrected me._

"_I think I prefer Susannah" I responded._

"_Urgh, fine. But, you better play nice, or it changes to Suze, got it?"_

"_I can assure you, I will most definitely play nice with you."_

'_Nombre de Dios. I cannot believe I just said that.'_

_She laughed again, in my head, and then asked, "Hey Jesse…?"_

"_Yes Susannah?" I asked, loving the sound of her name._

"_What's there to do here, you know, in Carmel? I mean do you just hang out at the beach all the time?"_

"_Well, one could go to the movies, hang out at the Coffee Clutch, visit the historical society's museum, or eat in one of the many fine restaurants Carmel has to offer. Why? Did you just move here or something?"_

"_Actually, yeah. I'm originally from New York, but my mom moved us out here to be with my new step-dad and step-brothers."_

"_Oh." 'So that's why Kevin saw her with Brad. So maybe, she is single! No. no way, I mean look at her! She probably has boyfriends galore.'_

_Again came her sweet laughter in my mind, followed by "Jesse, I do not have 'boyfriends galore', but thank you again for that wonderful compliment."_

"_Anytime Susannah, anytime" I said happily._

"_So, you wouldn't be interested in showing me around Carmel, would you? I could use a tour guide" she asked, sounding very sexy._

"_I'd love to. How about Friday?" 'Oh, did that sound too needy, or worse; clingy?'_

"_You're not clingy, but can we do it Saturday? I've kinda got something going on Friday. You know if you're busy though, it's okay."_

"_Saturday is perfect" I cheerfully replied. 'But what she said about having something on Friday, made me a little anxious. I tried to rationalize, but I kept thinking about how all the boys were talking about her, and looking at her. Of course she has a date, what else could it be? Did I really think I had a chance with her? Sometimes, I think too much of myself, how could sh-'_

"_Jesse, relax. I've got dance practice on Friday 'till six. And, don't worry, you've got a chance" she cooed, very seductively._

"_Really!" I asked, suddenly perking up._

_She laughed again, and said "Yeah, don't put yourself down. I can assure you, you're on the top of my to-do-list."_

_I blushed, thinking about how I could interpret that, and then I heard, "Oh, God. Did I really just think that? Oh, God! 'To-do-list'?"_

_This time I laughed, and replied, "Actually I meant about the dance part, but thank you, I'm honored to even be noted on your to-do-list…So, what do you dance? Like what type of dance?"_

"_I…I'm taking a hip-hop class as like a refresher" she answered, suddenly very shyly._

"_Wow, do you think I could watch you sometime" 'Oh no that was definitely clingy.'_

"_If you want, I'm not exactly pro" she said, shyly again._

"_Don't be humble, you're probably great."_

"Alright class, I'm passing out your homework. These worksheets cover the reading on pages 8-21, and you can complete these in groups of two, which I will be selecting" stated Mr. Walden

Luckily he was just pairing people up within their rows, so Susannah and I were paired off. She turned around in her desk, and smiled at me.

"Well, I guess we better get together after school to do these" she said, sounding a bit playful and flirty.

I smiled back at her, and suggested we do them in the library since my sisters would never allow us to study in peace. She seemed to find this interesting and we began talking about our families. Me, being the only son, and oldest had the responsibility of watching over all five of my younger sisters. Susannah, looked genuinely interested in my family, especially when I described all of my sisters. Her family was quite interesting as well, and I became a bit happier when she shared a little secret with me: "I have nick names for all my step-brothers" she said, looking around cautiously. "David, the youngest is Doc, Brad is Dopey, and Jake is Sleepy" she admitted giggling slightly as she told me.

"Dopey? Well, it certainly suits him."

"Well, why don't you just come over to my house. My mom and step-dad are still on their honeymoon, and my step-brothers all have stuff to do. Besides, my house is only like 2 miles from here" she insisted.

'_She's asking me to go home with her? To her home! Her empty home! Nombre de Dios. Don't think about it, she doesn't mean it like that. She's just being nice.'_

"Umm…okay, but you have to let me drive."

"Deal" she gleefully replied, and then mentally added; _"Maybe, I do mean it like that, and…I am always nice."_

I swallowed hard, and couldn't help but grin like an idiot. That's when I realized Adam was staring at Susannah and me with a slight gleam in his eye. He smiled at us before heading off to meet with CeeCee.

"Come on, I'll walk you around, so you can get a feel of the school. We've got a 30 minute break anyway, and I believe I promised you coffee" I said holding out my arm, as Adam had done earlier. She blushed a little, but gathered up her things and took my arm.

As I walked around with her on my arm, I could sense the looks I was getting. '_Most of the guys would wonder what 'the new girl' was doing with me. But I didn't care, I was happy to receive all those jealous glares, because Susannah was on my arm, not theirs'.'_

"Hey Jesse, I have a quick question" Susannah said, blushing a lot now, and pulling me very close to her. Again I swallowed hard, but replied, albeit shakily, "Sure ask away."

She give my arm a slight squeeze, and stopped walking. Suddenly I was getting lost in her eyes, and then she pressed herself close to me, making me tingle in pleasure. Somehow my arms snaked around her waist, pressing her even closer to me. _'I'm going to need an ice cold shower after this.' _ She laughed, but then asked me a question that made my blood freeze; "Jesse, are the man of my dreams?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

"Wh-what do you m-mean?" I asked nervously.

'_Nombre de Dios. Wait, no that would be a good thing. Wouldn't it?'_

She laughed again and pulled away. "Jesse, it's going to sound so stupid.."

"Susannah, you can tell me" I said, pulling her close again.

"Well, oh God I can't believe I remembered this, but my best friend Gina, from New York and I always ask that question to a boy before we go out with them. There are many possible answers, but we have yet to find a truly perfect one" she admitted, turning a deep shade of pink.

'_Relax De Silva, she doesn't know. And she most definitely hasn't been dreaming of you.'_

"I think it's cute" I replied trying to comfort her nerves.

"Wait, how do you know?" she asked, pulling away just enough to send a shiver done my spine.

"Know, know what?" I questioned, baffled again.

"You, you thought it. Something about how I've been dreaming about you. But how do you know about the dreams I've been having?" she responded, sounding almost frightened.

'_Nombre de Dios, you've scared her. Now I'll never have my Querida.'_

"What did you just…you called me Querida!" she exclaimed suddenly looking…well, joyous.

"I…I…I'm sorry. If you'll let me explain…" I trailed off, because suddenly there were tears in her eyes.

'_I really did scare her. She probably just wanted to have a normal first day, and now I'm scaring her into tears.'_

She let out a little giggle, while I instinctively wiped away her tears. "You're Jesse! You're my Jesse!" she practically yelled.

"Que-Querida?" I nervously asked.

She gave me a watery smile, and I lifted her into my arms, not noticing any of the stares we were getting. I set her down, but without thinking she grabbed my hand, and led me straight to…they graveyard. She walked confidently towards a small clearing, as if she knew exactly where she was going, as if she'd been this way before. We stopped at a secluded area, surrounded by plants and she quietly mumbled; "I have to know…so, just go along with me, okay?"

"O-Okay" I replied, suddenly very nervous.

That's when she kissed me. At first it was gentle, tender just like in my dreams, but…I couldn't control myself around her, and so I deepened the kiss. All of a sudden, time seemed to stop and visions flew through my mind. One in particular caught my attention;

**Susannah and I were standing in this very graveyard. Only, I was glowing. I couldn't catch the conversation between ghost-me and Susannah, but then we were kissing. I, or ghost-me, seemed to enjoy this immensely, I understand why. Her lips, are so soft, and loving. The only thing that really threw me off was the whole me being a ghost thing, especially since I was wearing…well I don't what it was. I knew the pants looked like black jeans, but the white billowy shirt completely confused me.**

When Susannah and I pulled apart, to catch our breath, I knew things I hadn't known. Things, I shouldn't know, and I didn't know how I found them out. It was as if I had been given the memories and knowledge of another. My eyes snapped opened and Susannah looked…breath-taking.

"Querida" I cooed, as if I'd called her that many times before. It seemed so natural around her, that it came out instinctively.

"Jesse?" she asked nervously.

"Yes. How did…what happened?"

"Do you remember everything? Even ghost stuff?" she questioned.

"Querida, how did…what did you do?"

"Jesse, I told you we'd be together in another life."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay, please don't be mad at me for this chapter, but I finally think I know where this story is going. This chapter plays an important role in the story, and without it it would be totally screwed up. So, yeah don't be mad.

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Chapter 4 

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"Jesse? Are you awake?" asked Susannah's gentle voice.

'_Awake? Of course I wa- Nombre de Dios. I wasn't! It was all a dream. Sure a wonderful dream, but still a dream.'_

"Jesse" I heard again.

'_But then why did I know her name, why did I recognize her voice.'_

"Jesse? Come on I don't want Mr. Walden to find you sleeping in his classroom" she pleaded.

"I'm not sleeping" I said sitting up in my desk.

"Yeah, not anymore" she teased.

"When did I fall asleep?" I asked, trying to keep my cool.

"Umm…right after class ended, I think. I went to talk to Mr. Walden, and when I came back you were hunched over, sleeping. I didn't want to wake you, but I also didn't want you to get in trouble" she explained.

"Thank you" I replied, stretching before getting up.

"Don't mention it. You'd probably do the same for me."

"Come on I'll go with you to your locker, and then we are getting coffee" I stated.

She smiled up at me and hooked her arm around my own, before letting me lead her through the hallways towards the lockers.

'_What did the dream mean? I must ask Father Dominic about this. Wait…how do I remember all the memories? All the knowledge?'_

"All set" Susannah chimed, shutting her locker closed.

"Coffee, right?" I asked, making sure I hadn't dreamed that up either.

"Right" she said, again looping her arm around mine.

We walked in a comfortable silence until we reached the coffee shop located next to the school, and placed our drink orders.

"Two grande caramel macchiatos" I told the barista, who quickly scribbled down our order, and then after giving me back my change, handed me my order number.

"How did you know to order two caramel macchiatos?" Susannah questioned, looking slightly amused.

"It's your favorite" I replied, without thought.

"Yes…but how did **you** know it was my favorite?"

"Umm…because everyone loves a caramel macchiato. Besides, I saw you smile when you noticed they made them here" I lied quickly, while pulling out her chair at our table. I sat down across from her, and set my hands down on the table.

"Jesse, are you okay?" Susannah asked, sounding genuinely concerned. I smiled at how she appeared to care, but mumbled, "It's nothing."

"No, it's not nothing. You look confused, or worried. What's up?"

"I just…Susannah, if I told you something strange, would you believe me?" I asked, nervously.

"Well strange how? Like you swear sometimes bananas talk to you, or more along the lines of mediator stuff?"

I chuckled at the mere thought of a talking banana, but then remembered this was important.

"Well, what if I told you I had a dream about you?" I questioned, my voice shaking slightly.

Susannah reached across the table and placed her hand on mine.

"Jesse, its okay" she said, smiling and giving my hand a light squeeze. "So, it happened like just right now, right? If you don't mind my asking, what exactly happened, in this dream of yours?"

"Umm…well, yes and no. You see that's where things get strange."

"But we just met, how could you…oh" she mumbled, quickly scanning my face.

"Oh, what?" I asked, hoping for a response that would somehow explain it all.

"Well, it's just…I had a dream about you too. It happened a couple weeks ago, and then again just last night. Only, in my dream, you were dead."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I know, you all hate that I left the story like that, but I hope this chapter will have made it worth the wait.

By the way, thanks to all my reviewers I completely love you guys!

--Chapter 5—

"Dead?" I asked just to make sure I had heard her right.

"Yeah, I know it sounds totally crazy, but we were in a grav-"

"Graveyard. We were in the mission's graveyard" I finished for her.

She shot me a quizzical glance before asking, "How did you know that? Did you have the same dream?"

"I don't think it was a dream Querida."

"Querida? Okay now this is completely freaking me out" she squeaked.

"Sorry, it just…came out. Like out of habit or something" I mumbled.

"No, I didn't mind…it's just, in my dream you called me that all the time" she replied.

"Oh" I happily chimed.

"Order number 48; two caramel macchiatos for Jesse" yelled the barista.

I quickly got up and helped Susannah from her chair before collecting our drinks, and strolling back to the mission's lunch area.

We were about 2 feet away from my usual table when CeeCee ran over to Susannah and threw her arms around her. Susannah did the same, and they both shrieked like tweens meeting a member of their favorite boy band. At that moment I was glad I had offered to carry our drinks until we reached the table, because other wise CeeCee and Susannah would both have been covered in coffee.

"So I take it you two have met before" Adam said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Yeah" CeeCee said, back to her normal demure. "This is **Suze**!" she said, motioning towards Susannah.

"Awh, yes how could I _not_ remember the infamous Suze" Adam replied, the sarcasm even more notable than before.

CeeCee shot him a dirty look before continuing "I told you guys about her, like what? Months ago?" She asked, turning to Susannah.

"No, it was only a few weeks ago, not even two months" she reminded CeeCee.

"Oh, yeah your right. So anyway, we met down at Peninsula Pizza, and really hit it off. We've been talking ever since" CeeCee concluded, finally releasing Susannah from her embrace.

Adam and I looked at one another, as if somehow trying to ask if the other even faintly remembered hearing about Susannah from CeeCee.

"I told you they'd hit it off" CeeCee chimed, as she sat back down next to Adam on one of the benches.

"Who? Them?" Adam asked, nodding at Susannah and myself.

"No, Father Dominic and Sister Ernestine…of course Jesse and Suze" CeeCee replied.

Suddenly my cheeks turned beet red, and I was unable to even glance in Susannah's direction.

"Too bad though, Jesse. Suze over here has a certain som-"

"NO I DON'T" Susannah interrupted her.

I looked at her, as if trying to penetrate through her mind block, but nothing.

"Please, that guy's got it bad for you, and you know it" CeeCee retorted.

"Umm, excuse me, but what guy?" I asked, in not my happiest tone.

"Just some guy who was practically stalking me when I came here the first time to try and settle in" Susannah said, shooting mental daggers at CeeCee.

"Some guy! SOME GUY! Suze, Paul Slater is not just some guy. He's totally hot, and a senior from RLS. Plus, he's totally in love with you. You should totally go out with him again, unless you know, someone better comes along" CeeCee said sounding very cryptic, yet wise.

"Wait, you went out with Paul Slater!" Adam asked Susannah. "Damn, sorry Jesse" he added.

"Well…yeah, I did…but only because she made me!" Susannah exclaimed thrusting a finger in CeeCee's direction.

"Oh please, don't act like you didn't, or don't actually, like him. Besides he's still trying woo you, and you love it."

"DO NOT. The guy is total nut case, he kept going on and on about how we were meant to be together. Plus, he tried to hump me on our first **and last** date. Now can we stop talking about this, just the sound of his name makes me feel all tense and paranoid" Susannah barked back.

"He tried to WHAT!" I questioned, anger boiling inside me.

'_Whoa, calm down. She's not your girlfriend. If she wants to go out with him, that's her decision…, Ahh, screw it! He tried to hurt her, so I say beat him to pulp!'_

"He was really forward, and aggressive, so I had to kind of…well, I pushed him off of me and kneed him in his 'danger zone" Susannah told me a few minutes later as we were walking towards our chemistry class.

"Oh, so you don't like him?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Why do you ask? Do I detect a hint of…jealousy!" Susannah asked with an expression of mock shock.

"I…no, it's just…he should know better than to try and force himself on lady."

"Are you sure?" she questioned, as we stepped into Mr. Edward's chilly classroom.

"Uh huh" I nodded in response.

"Oh, too bad…I like a little jealousness in men" she said, sauntering off to an empty table.

About every guy in class dove for the empty seat next to her, but she shooed them all away, and motioned for me to come sit by her. The grin on my face was a dead give away of how happy I was, so I quickly took the seat next to her and mentally added, "_Okay…I'm a little jealous, but only because you agreed to go out with that **boy** in the first place._"

"_Jesse_" Susannah sighed "_I only agreed to go out with him because CeeCee built him up to be some kind of god, plus he kept pestering me until I finally gave in. Besides I didn't even stay for our whole date. After dinner he drove to this secluded point along the Pacific Coast Highway, and tried to…well get in my pants. But after that I stomped off to the nearest pay phone and begged my step-brother to come get me."_

"Really?" I asked aloud.

"Yeah, I'm telling you the guy is total perv. That's why I'm done with guys like that."

"Like him, how so?" I questioned, suddenly thinking I may actually be like Paul Slater.

"You know…the school ruler. The guys that are perfect in everything, and get all the girls to fawn over them. Thetotally materialistic, possessive, conceded people; they drive me nuts" she scoffed.

At that I let out a sigh of relief and looked over at Susannah. _'I can't believe it's really her. All the dreams must mean something. But…are they part of a past I now know exists? Or are they perhaps part of a future I'm meant to spend with my Querida?'_

Suddenly I was drawn out of my thoughts as I felt a smooth leg caress my own. Gently the smooth skin brushed against my leg, causing me to shiver in delight. I looked down and saw that the leg belonged to Susannah. "Nombre de Dios" I mumbled, as the leg continued to graze mine.

'_Is she doing that on purpose! Should I somehow respond, or reciprocate the action?'_

"Umm, hey Jesse…can you help me out…my shoe fell off and I can't reach it" Susannah whispered to me. That's when I noticed her left, black, heeled sandal just out of her reach.

'_Relax De Silva; she was going for her shoe.'_

So being the gentleman my mother raised me to be, I retrieved her shoe and carefully slid it back onto her foot.

"Thanks" she replied, sending me a smile that made me feel all warm and tingle-y. After that, chemistry seemed rather pointless, so I focused on Susannah. I noticed how she twiddled her thumbs and kept crossing and un-crossing her legs when she got bored.

Then, without warning I had another flash-back, I guess:

**I was seating on a window seat wearing that weird billowy shirt again. The view was beautiful. I mean, I'm sure the ocean view from the window seat was nice and all, but I was admiring the view of Susannah. She was sitting on a frilly canopy bed, with books and notebooks spread around her. She twiddled her thumbs as she stared intensely at some chart before her. She crossed her legs, giving me a lovely view of her nicely toned calves, and then un-crossed her legs a few moments later. I could feel myself smirking, and continued watching Susannah. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and she was clad in some faded plaid boxer shorts and a tiny tank top that revealed a lot of her chest region when she leant down. Again she crossed and un-crossed her legs, making my smirk turn into a grin. Her beauty was pure, radiant, and her smile could make me turn to muss. "Jesse?" she asked, noticing the direction of my gaze. **

"**Yes Querida?" I replied in a silky tone, I didn't even know I had in me. **

"**Jesse do you get how to do this?"**

"What?" I questioned, snapping back to reality.

"Do you get how to write and balance chemical equations?" she asked, smiling a little.

"Oh, yeah why, do you need help?" I responded, thinking about how I could tutor her, and maybe even kiss her soft, pouty lips-

"No, its just…you kind of spaced out while Mr. Edwards was explaining it. I just wanted to make sure you know how to do the homework" she explained, blushing slightly, and pointing to the worksheet in front of me.

"Oh, thank you."

"No problem" she chimed happily.

The last few minutes of class were rather quiet, as everyone raced to finish their homework. Susannah and I both completed our worksheets before packing away our things and preparing for our last classes.

"So what do you have next?" Susannah asked, grinning a little.

"I'm helping Mr. Ochoa with his last period Spanish class" I replied trying not to sound too smug.

"Whoa, so you're like his aide?"

"Yeah, pretty much" I responded.

"Oh, too bad I take French" Susannah cooed before sauntering away.

"Nombre de Dios" I breathed as she swayed her hips, walking confidently out into the breezeway.

Last period, was very dull. All Mr. Ochoa had me do was make copies of worksheets and his syllabus, then separate his class work packets, from his home work packets. When class was finally dismissed, I helped Mr. Ochoa tidy up his classroom, while we talked about our days.

"So…who is she?" he asked, clearly enjoying the look of confusion and panic on my face.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Who is she? I can see it in your eyes, you're practically glowing, plus you pretty much smiled through the entire period" he said almost taunting me.

"Oh, no…we're just…Susannah" I sheepishly admitted.

"What about Susannah?" she chimed from the door way. I turned a deep shade of red, before being able to face her.

"Awh, so you're the new girl" Mr. Ochoa stated, giving me an approving look.

"Yes sir" she replied, then turned her attention to me and asked "Ready?" She flashed me another heart-melting smile, temporarily paralyzing me.

"Of course" I said once I could think again, before gathering my belongings and walking over to stand beside her.

"Adios Jesse, adios novia de Jesse" Mr. Ochoa called after us.

"What did he just call me?" she questioned as we walked towards the parking lot.

"Umm…my friend. He said 'bye friend of Jesse" I quickly lied.

"Really? I could have sworn novia meant like bride or something."

I nearly choked on air upon hearing that, before coughing out, "I thought you took French."

"I do, but my uncle married a Hispanic woman, my Tia Sophia and last year at Christmas she tried to teach me a little bit" she explained.

"Oh" was all I could manage to choke out.

Just then we reached the student parking lot, and I pointed out my car. "She's not the newest or the nicest; but she's loyal" I said describing my 2001 Toyota Corolla.

Susannah smiled at me and I gently placed my hand on the small of her back, leading her towards the car. However her smile suddenly faded when we heard a boy calling after her. She shot me a fearful glance, before we turned around to see a guy jogging towards us calling "Suze! Suze, wait up!"

I noticed Susannah tense up and I protectively pulled her into my arms, as the boy reached us.

"Well, well, well aren't you a sight for sore eyes. Come on babe, I've got the drop top parked over by the entrance" the boy said trying to grab Susannah. She quickly burrowed into my chest, and I held her tightly.

"I don't think she wants to go with you" I spat at him.

"Who the fuck are you? You can't tell me Suze here doesn't want to go with me, because I know for a fact that she does" he retorted.

"I'm not going anywhere with **you**!" Susannah said through gritted teeth.

"Come on baby, don't be that way" he cooed.

"Leave me alone! I **never** want to see or hear from you again!" she yelled back.

"Oh come on Suze…you think Ricky Martin here can offer you what I can? Please, he's wearing clothes from Old Navy."

'_Hey! Old Navy is perfectly respectable place to shop! I cannot believe this boy is talking to Susannah like that…has he no respect?'_

"Oh he's much better than you'll **ever** be! Besides, I like Old Navy" she hissed.

I smiled down at her, feeling practically giddy, before remembering to continue glaring evilly at this hijo de puta.

"Suze don't be a bitch! Just get in the damn car" he demanded, again trying to forcefully pry Susannah from my arms. But I saw him and knew he would try and hurt her so I quickly took a step back, dragging Susannah with me. "Don't you ever talk to her like that" I yelled, with coldness in my voice I didn't know I had.

"You know what? You can have her…for now. I'll be back though, don't you worry. I'll be back for you Suze" he wailed as he made his way over to a brand new Mercedes-Benz convertible.

"You better not; for your sake Paul!" she called after him.

"**That** was Paul?" I asked raising my eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's the sick pervert that stalks me."

"Do you think he's dangerous?" I asked pulling away slightly, to look into her eyes. She however, snuggled back against my chest and replied "I…I don't know."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Have I mentioned that I love all you reviewers? Because I really do! You people rock so much! Seriously like a couple completely brightened up my day. So yeah keep reviewing, and enjoy this next chapter. –Lauren

:Chapter 6:

The car ride was pretty much silent, I mean what was there to say. The only time we even spoke was when Susannah would mumble which street to turn on, and I would acknowledge it. _'Nombre de Dios. Should I try and comfort her? Should I tell her everything is going to be okay? Can I hug her?'_

Once she pointed out her house and I parked the car, Susannah visibly relaxed and turned in her seat to look at me. "Jesse…I can't thank you enough for what you did back there, I mean we barely even know each other, but you stood up for me anyway. I just…thank you" she said leaning over and pulling me into a hug.

"It was nothing, really. I couldn't just stand by and let him talk to you like that. Susannah you deserve so much better" I replied, taking in her wondrous scent. It's something like the smell of roses after a light summer rain, mixed with…I'm assuming, her natural scent.

We sat like that, in a comfortable embrace, just holding onto one another, being with one another, until someone knocked on Susannah's window. We quickly pulled apart and Susannah mumbled something under breath, before climbing out of the car.

"Suze, can you let me in really fast I can't find my key and I'm already late for work" the boy said really fast and in a somewhat demanding tone.

"Uh, fine. But why do you need to get in?" Susannah asked, sounding annoyed.

"I forgot to grab my work shirt when I left this morning."

"Ah yes, the lovely 'Peninsula Pizza authorized deliverer' shirt" she retorted, sounding…well like an annoying little sister. Trust me I know that tone well, having five younger sisters is not exactly a total joy.

"Yeah, whatever. Can you just let me in?" he shot back.

"Well…I could, but what do I get out of this act of kindness?"

"Urgh, I don't know, what do you want?"

"Humm…how about you, take over my dish duty for the next two weeks."

"You little- fine" he huffed.

"Thank you" she said, sauntering up the path to her porch, and quickly opening the door.

As I got out my car, and went to meet Susannah, the boy raced through the open door and came out again within a minute, holding a goofy, bowling style shirt. He jumped into a car and shouted "Suze, if you're gonna entertain male company could you promise to keep your clothes on."

Both Susannah and I stared at him in total disbelief, as he winked at us and then sped away.

"I'm gonna kill him" Susannah murmured, followed by "Oh, come on in. Sorry about Jake, he's just being stupid."

"Oh…okay" I said, walking with her into the house. As I stepped inside I noticed the walls and shelves were lined with pictures. I glanced around scanning the photos until I found one of Susannah. She looked to be about 13, and she was wearing a sparkly costume. A boy stood beside her, and in front of them sat a large trophy.

"Oh God" she sighed when she noticed I was staring at the picture. "I…uhh, I used to dance. A lot actually. I mean, you name a type and I did it. But after I started high school, it became too much, so I stopped competing. I still dance a little, but just to keep in shape and maintain my flexibility; not to compete" she finished.

"Wow, so like any kind of dance?" I asked, sounding a bit skeptical.

"Yep, pretty much. I did ballet, jazz, tap, modern, hip-hop, ballroom, salsa, flamenco, and a little ballet folklórico."

"Really? My sisters love that. They really just like all the different costumes, and the way the skirt moves, but still they always drag me to the Father Serra Carnival just to watch the dance group" I said, grinning.

"Oh, yeah. They're really good; I saw them a couple years ago in a competition in L.A. Now…enough pictures, we've got homework. Come on" she said, nodding for me to follow her. And I did obediently, follow her I mean. She led me into the kitchen and threw her backpack down by a table. I gently placed my own besides hers and saw that Susannah was looking at me with a slight gleam in her eyes.

"Jesse, do you like hot tubs?"

:Gulp:

"Umm, I guess so…why do y-you ask?"

"Well my stupid stepbrother is throwing a back-to-school hot tub party this Saturday, and I was gonna see if I could stay at Cee's. But if you want, you could…you know, come" she said shyly.

"Uhh, that sounds fun…besides we're exploring Carmel during the day, so why not top it off with a party?" I replied, knowing that my voice sounded a little squeaky.

"Oh, right. Well, I don't want to take up your whole Saturday. I mean, I'm sure you've got better things to do than hang around with m-"

"Susannah" I interrupted her, "I would like nothing more than to spend **all** of Saturday with you."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother" she replied.

"I'm positive, now let's start our homework, before the temptation of procrastination becomes too much."

She laughed lightly, and then we sat down to do our homework.

After all our homework was done, we'd eaten some leftover pizza, and drank two cans of soda, I realized I had to call my mom to let her know where I was. So while I explained to my mother that we **absolutely had **to work on our homework together, Susannah went to go get something from her room. When I told my mom about Susannah and what we had to do, she perked up and told me I could stay as long as I needed. "Mijo, just remember what I told you about abstinence" she reminded me, laughing a little as if it were a funny joke she'd just told me.

"Mamá! Susannah…I would, never…" I mumbled, suddenly at a loss for words.

"I know, I know, I was only teasing you. I'll have Marta watch your sisters until you get home. But Jesse" she said, sounding very…parental.

"Yes?"

"I want you home by 7 o'clock. And I if this is going to become a regular thing, I want to meet this Susannah, and her parents."

"Mamá, don't worry. I'll be home in a little while. See you later."

"Okay, adios Mijo."

When I finally hung up and stopped blushing, I called upstairs to Susannah.

"Come on up" she yelled back.

'_Nombre de Dios. What am I thinking? No one is home. What if one her stepbrothers were to come home and find us? We'd be all alone, and…in her room. Really this is wrong…Yes, it's wrong.' _But then another voice popped into my mind and added _'Yeah it's wrong because you're down here, when there's a beautiful woman waiting for you in her bedroom.'_

Being the hormonal teenage boy that I am, I quickly agreed with the latter voice, but swore to not do anything inappropriate with Susannah.

As I reached the second floor Susannah's head poked out from I'm assuming her doorway. "In here…I just can't find…the stupid tape" she mumbled, more to herself than to me really.

Slowly, I inched my way towards her door and when I looked in I couldn't believe my eyes. _'It's exactly the same way I remember it. The frilly canopy bed, the lacey pillows all over, and…the window seat.'_

"I know it's so **girly**, but my mom decorated it and it would probably break her heart if I changed it…so, welcome" she said smiling.

I smiled back and looked around. More photos were pinned onto a cork board, creating a photo collage. Susannah was in most of the pictures but there were always other people in them too. In a couple I recognized the same boy from the photo downstairs. He was tall, muscular, and seemed to be a close friend of Susannah's. One picture I found particularly amusing; it was of Susannah and that same boy. Susannah was kissing his cheek and he was smiling, while blushing. They were wearing matching clothes, and looked like somewhat of an item. I stopped myself from jumping to conclusions about their relationship, as Susannah happily sang "Found it!", from across the room.

"Found what?" I asked, making my way over to her.

"The tape. Here" she said, handing me a VHS cassette, "it's from the last ballet folklórico competition I went to. It's not just me, so it's pretty good. You said your sisters like the dancing, so I figured it's the least I can do since I'm taking up your Saturday."

"Really? Wow, they'll love this, thanks" I replied.

"Don't mention it, and you can give it back to me whenever."

"Okay, well thank you, again" I lamely responded.

We stood in a comfortable silence, just staring into each others' eyes, until I interrupted; "Well, I should go. You've probably got things to do, and I have to baby sit anyway."

"Oh, okay" Susannah murmured, sounding a little sad and disappointed. "At least let me walk you out to your car."

"Alright" I sighed, trying to hide my happiness.

"Well, this was fun, we should do it again some time" I said, instantly regretting it.

"Yeah, definitely" she sweetly replied.

"Okay, well…bye" I murmured.

"Bye" she echoed before quickly kissing my cheek and sauntering back towards her house.

I stood there for a moment, replaying what had just happened in my mind. My skin tingled where she had kissed me, and I could tell I was blushing. _'Now I know what that boy went through. Ah Querida…Great, she barely kisses my cheek and I turn to mush. I shudder to think what might happen if we ever actually kiss.'_

When I finally got home my mother was leaving for work and told me dinner was in the oven. My sisters bombarded me with questions about where I had been, who I had been with, and why I was grinning like an idiot. My two youngest sisters; Mapi and Carmen got distracted once I gave them Susannah's video, but Marta, Josefina, and Mercedes pressed on until I finally told them as little as possible. Josefina and Mercedes readily accepted my explanation of having to work on homework with Susannah, but Marta stayed. I've always been close with Marta, probably because we're only a year apart. Plus Marta always wanted to be in the know when it came to me and girls. She didn't like any of my previous girlfriends; she always said I could do better.

"You like her huh?" she asked with a smile.

"I…yeah. It's just so strange, I only met her today, but I feel as if I've known her our whole lives."

"Jesse is she the girl from that dream you told me about?"

I'd confided in Marta about my first dream, but after I had more I knew it was a matter to discuss with Father Dominic.

"Yes, I think so. When I saw her today I completely froze. My breath caught in my throat, and I literally think my heart skipped a beat. Marta, how do I not mess this up? I want things to work out with Susannah. She's different from all the other girls. I don't why, but around her I feel like a total goof-ball. I'm at a loss for words, and when I actually manage to say something intelligent, it surprises me."

She squealed in delight and gave me a quick hug before replying, "Okay, you said you're showing her around Carmel on Saturday right?"

"Yes, and then we're going to a party her stepbrother is throwing."

"Okay, so when you're out with her just be yourself. You know, be a gentleman with a sense of humor. Make her laugh, but make sure she knows you want her. Compliment her, but don't over do it. Hold her hand, if she lets you. But at the same time act casual. Treat her like there's no one on earth you'd rather be with. BUT, at the end of the night don't pressure her into a kiss. If-"

"Marta! I'm showing her around Carmel, not taking her on an actual date" I shot at her, but then realized I was wrong. _'It really is a date! A REAL DATE! Ah, a date con mi Querida.' _

"Jesse, are you retarded? Of course it's a date. I swear sometimes you boys are so dense. How you people don't fell down more, I'll never know" she huffed.

"So…she knows it's a date?"

"Duh, Jesse you're spending all day with her, this is your chance to show her what a great novio you'd make. Besides she already kissed you, so you know she likes you too. Just relax, you'll do fine. Wake me up on Saturday and I'll pick out your clothes" she said while walking into the kitchen.

"I can get my own clothes" I yelled after her.

"Sure Jesse, sure. Whatever you say" she retorted.

Just then the phone rang. Marta grabbed the line in the kitchen, and after a few seconds yelled for me to get the phone, because Adam was calling. I grabbed the phone in the living room, and answered, "Hello."

"I cannot believe you went over to Suze's house! Dude I heard about what happened with that Slater guy today. I also heard you looked quite cozy with said female. Everyone's saying how cute you guys are together. So what happened? Did someone finally get laid?" he rambled.

"Adam! Nothing happened. We just did our homework, ate some leftover pizza, and talked. That's it."

"Except for the part where she kissed you" Marta chimed from the line in the kitchen.

"Dude she kissed you!"

"Marta can you let me speak to Adam, **alone**."

"Fine, fine I'm going. Bye Adam" Marta said before hanging up the phone.

"Bye Marta" Adam mumbled, "SO! Spill, what happened with Suze?"

"It's a long, kind of boring story. And I really don't want to talk about it, because you'll just go and tell CeeCee and then she'll tell Susannah that I told you."

"Dude, Suze told Cee, and Cee told me. How'd you think I found out you were with the lovely Ms. Simon?"

"I…I don't know. So, she really told CeeCee? What'd she say?" I anxiously questioned.

"Something about how amazingly smart and sexy you are. She must have been with another Jesse though cause you are neither" Adam teased.

"Think you're so funny huh? Now, really…what'd she tell CeeCee?"

"Argh, we're gonna be here awhile so you might as well sit down and make yourself comfortable."

"Adam! I'm serious. I really like Susannah, and I think she could be my one…"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Hope you like. R & R!

:Chapter 7:

"Jesse" she moaned.

"Susannah" I panted back, before returning my attention to her neck. I trailed kisses down her neck while she ran her hands through my hair. We were in her room, making out, heavily. For some reason I knew for a fact that we were all alone. That's the only reason we were doing this.

This time I was wearing normal clothes, but still it didn't seem quite like me. Something seemed different. But this dream-me didn't seem to see anything wrong with the situation, and why would he? Or, I really. I was making out with the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet.

Slowly I moved my hands from Susannah's waist and made my way up her blouse. She let out a deep moan, and I wanted nothing but to keep making her moan like that. Gently my fingers searched for the clasp of her bra, as I felt Susannah's hands ran along my back, causing me to shiver in delight.

Before long we were lying on her bed; me on top of Susannah. Her bare chest pressed against my own as we kissed. "Querida…we shouldn't…not again…" I panted. But Susannah knew my weakness, and as she nibbled my earlobe, her hand went down to my jeans. I was 'excited', and when she rested her hand in between my legs, I cracked. My hands cupped her breasts, while I went back to trailing kisses down her neck. "Jesse" she mumbled as her hand fingered the zipper to my jeans.

Within seconds my pants were off and Susannah ran her fingers along the waistband of my boxers. "Jesse" she moaned as my hand traveled up her skirt.

"Querida, where's the box?" she panted.

"Top drawer" she hastily replied.

I quickly reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a condom as she tugged off her mini skirt. Once we were only separated by our underwear, I eagerly put on the condom.

As I crawled back onto her, she looked me in the eye and said "I love you." I smiled back at her, as I always do when she says those three words to me, and replied "I love you too."

Carefully I pulled down her lacey thong, and threw them on the floor. She smiled up at me and with her eyes, urged me to go on.

I positioned myself and slowly went into her. As I began thrusting I noticed Susannah didn't appear to be in pain. Not like last time; our first time. No, this time she moaned and clutched the sheets around her. After some more moans, she just about screamed. The expression on her face was priceless; love, joy, and ecstasy were radiating from her.

"Oh, Jesse!" she cooed, between deep breaths.

"Jesse!" she yelled, sounding aggravated, and somewhat like…Marta?

"Jesse of you don't wake up now you're going to be late to school!" Marta yelled.

"I'm awake already! I'll be ready in ten minutes" I shouted back, sitting up in my bed.

'_These dreams are much too life-like…I shouldn't be thinking these things. How am I going to be able to even look at Susannah today? Nombre de Dios, I need a cold shower.'_

A/N: In case you didn't catch on, that was another dream, like the first chapter. Just wanted to make sure everyone caught that.-Lauren


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, you guys rock!-Love, Lauren

:Chapter 8:

"Jesse, are you okay?"

"Umm…yeah, I'm fine, why?" I nervously replied.

"Well, it's just I noticed you've kind of been avoiding, well all of us. Did we do something…?" CeeCee asked, looking concerned.

"I just…if I tell you something can you promise to keep it a secret? You can't tell anyone. Not Adam, and **especially** not Susannah."

"Okay, I promise. What's up?" she asked.

"I had a dream…last night. About Susannah, and it was…inappropriate" I mumbled.

"Wait, like a dirty dream?" she questioned, looking less concerned and more amused.

"Yes, I guess so. I just,…how can I even look at her? I feel so awful about it."

"Jesse you didn't do it on purpose. Well, subconsciously you did, but not…knowingly. Don't be so hard on yourself. Besides, Suze would probably be a little happy to know you're thinking of her in **that** way. You know she's got the hots for you" she chimed back.

"Really? You're not just saying that right? Cause Adam said-"

"Jesse, I spent almost **two** hours on the phone with her yesterday. All she talked about was 'Jesse this' and 'Jesse that'. So trust me. Just, don't piss her off by avoiding her the day after she kisses you. Even if it was only on the cheek" she wisely stated.

"She told you that?" I asked in disbelief.

"Duh. Jesse we're girls; we tell each other **everything**."

"Everything?" I questioned.

"Yeah, pretty much. Don't worry, everything I heard was positive. Relax Jesse, now go find Suze, and stop hiding out, she didn't appreciate you leaving her all alone with me and Adam. Especially since he's rather…_flirtatious _today" she said smiling shyly.

"Thanks CeeCee" I said before practically running to my usual table. Only when I got there, Adam was all alone.

"Adam, where's Susannah?" I asked, looking around the lunch area.

"Oh, she went to buy a soda, and then find Cee. Why?" he asked raising his eyebrows.

"I just…I need to talk to her, and explain why I was sort of…avoiding her today" I meekly responded.

"Oh yeah, she seemed pretty upset when you blew her off after second period. But she's pissed off now. Dude, she even asked Gus for a ride home."

"Gus? As in quarterback of the football team, Gus?"

"Yeah, that'd be the one. He's been chasing after her all day, and she looked pretty cozy with him a few minutes ago" he answered looking sorry for me.

"Wait! She was with him? Cozy, with him?" I asked, anger boiling inside me.

"Whoa, Jesse chill. She was just talking to the guy, I think, but that's not the point. Suze is going out with **you** on Saturday, not Gus. Just find her and explain what going on. By the way, what is going on?" he asked.

"I'll explain later, but right now I just have to find Susannah" I huffed before making my way to the school vending machines.

When I finally managed to snake my way through the crowd of freshmen girls admiring the senior jocks, I immediately spotted Susannah. She was behind two girls in line for the soda machine. As I walked over to her, I quickly grabbed 70 from my pocket and casually stood next to her. She looked up to see who was standing beside her, and when she saw it was me she raised her eyebrow inquisitively.

"Hi" I mumbled.

"Hi" she replied, sounding a little nervous.

"…Listen, I'm really sorry if it seemed like I was avoiding you today, but I-"

"Jesse, you don't have to explain anything to me. If you want to avoid me that's your choice. But don't expect me to welcome you with open arms when you decide to talk to me again" she interrupted, sounding like she was holding back either tears, or punches.

"No, that's not what…Susannah, I never meant to upset you. If you'll just let me explain…" I trailed off.

"Okay, if you weren't avoiding me today then why did you bolt out after second period? I looked for you during the break, but no one had seen you, and then the same after chemistry. When lunch came, you didn't even sit with Adam and CeeCee. If you don't like me jus-"

"Susannah, it's because I like you that I acted like a complete idiot today. Last night I had another dream, and it's sort of embarrassing. I just didn't want to say something stupid, and I wasn't sure if I should even tell you, but…you deserve to know."

"So, you weren't avoiding me because you don't like me?" she asked, sounding shy.

"Querida, you shouldn't even have to ask" I replied, and then realized I'd let that word slip again. But Susannah just smiled at me questioned "So, why was the dream embarrassing? Did I do something stupid in it?"

"No…we were, umm…well, we were in your room, and…" I whispered, and then noticed my cheeks felt like they were on fire.

"Wait, did we umm…_you know_?" she asked.

"Uhh, yeah. We did, only… I don't think it was a dream."

"Then, what was it? Because I can assure you I'd remember something like **that**" she said.

"I honestly don't know. But, yesterday when I fell asleep after class, I had that weird dream of us in the graveyard. But before that happened in the dream, it was normal you and me. We left class, and you asked me if I was the man of your dreams. Then, when I told you about my dreams, you guided me to the graveyard, and you kissed me. And when you kissed me it was like I'd been given someone else's memories, someone else's knowledge. Only, when I woke up, I still remembered everything" I explained.

Susannah stared at me for a while before saying, "So, you think they're like memories? Kind of like a flash back?"

"Yes, that's the only reasonable explanation I can come up with. But…if that's the case, then we've met before."

"Show me" she said, pulling me away from the lunch crowd.

"Show you? What exactly am I showing you?" I asked nervously.

"You said that when I kissed you, you were uploaded with information. Maybe if…where's the graveyard?" she questioned.

"Susannah, I don't know. I mean, what if it doesn't work. I don't want you to do this if you're gonna regret it later."

"Jesse, where's the graveyard?" she repeated.

"Down the stone path behind the rectory, but Querida, I mean it. I don't want you to do this-"

"Jesse, are you going to come willingly or am I going to have to drag you?" she snapped.

"I…I'm right behind you" I said, smiling as she grabbed my arm and pulled me along after her.

When we reached the gate to the graveyard Susannah turned and faced me. She was smiling a playful smile, and her eyes swirled with emotions. "Jesse, if I don't remember…I'm sorry for disappointing you."

"Susannah" I said lifting her chin with my thumb and forefinger, "you could never disappoint me."

She smiled, and opened the gate pulling me in after her. I led her towards the clearing from my dream and stopped as she stepped in behind me. I pulled her in close to me, and wrapped my arms around her waist. She put her arms around my neck, as if we were going to slow dance, and smiled up at me.

"Are you sure?" I asked again.

"Jesse, I want to be your Querida" she said, giving me a reassuring smile.

I lowered my mouth down to her's, so my lips grazed her's when I whispered, "You already are."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Well, start expecting less frequent updates, because school starts soon. So I'll actually have to do something other than write fanfics. Sorry. I know, you're all devastated and want to crawl into the fetal position and cry. But never fear, I'll try to update on Fridays, (not every Friday; a girl has to have some sort of social life).

Anyway, enjoy and keep reviewing-Lauren

:Chapter 9:

"WHAT ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH IS GOING ON HERE!" Sister Ernestine shrieked from a few feet away.

Susannah and I quickly pulled apart, albeit reluctantly. We stood there waiting for the reaming of a lifetime, and blushing furiously.

"You two follow me" Sister Ernestine yelped, and ushered us up the path towards the rectory and school.

I looked over at Susannah and noticed how adorable she is when she blushes. She looked over at me and smiled a secret, sly smile just for me.

A few minutes later Susannah and I were sitting outside of Father Dominic's office as Sister Ernestine ranted about the 'position' she'd caught us in.

"I'm sorry" I mumbled to Susannah, but quickly regretted it, because the secretary shot me a sharp glance.

"_For what?" she mentally asked, looking confused; yet still absolutely adorable._

"_For getting us in trouble. It's only your second day here, and already I got you in major trouble. I'm sorry" I explained._

"_Jesse, I was a **very** willing participant, so don't blame yourself. Besides, me and Father D. understand each other, I'll just tell him-"_

"_You and Father Dominic are close?" I asked._

"_Yeah, he's mediator too. We met when I first came here, and we've been communicating ever since" she answered._

"_You're a mediator?" I questioned anxiously._

"_Yes, didn't we establish that yesterday after the mind-to-mind talking thing?" she replied, sounding slightly amused._

"_That's a mediator ability?"_

"_Yeah, but it's pretty rare. I've only known one other person who could do it, and I always thought it was because of our…" she trailed off, looking down._

"Querida, what's wrong?" I asked, lifting her chin up gently.

"It's nothing, I just…I don't really wanna talk about it" she said.

I smiled at her and reached over to cup her face in my hand.

"_So, what were you doing with Gus today?" I asked cautiously._

_She smirked a little and then replied,_ _"Oh, nothing just getting to know each other. He's really sweet when you get him to open up."_

"_He **opened up** to you?" _

"_Yeah we talked about school and friends and stuff. He's very poetic, for a jock" she answered._

"_So, I heard he's giving you a ride home" I said, trying not to sound jealous._

"_Yeah, well since you were avoiding I had to find some transportation, and he kindly offered. Why?" she asked._

"_Oh, I just…we have to do our U.S. History homework together and I just thought…"_ _I trailed off, blushing again._

"_You thought what? That you would give me a ride home and stay to do homework again. Because you know, I only let nice people who are sweet come over."_

"_I…I can be sweet."_

She smiled at me and leaned in close to me, making me shiver at the feel of her breath on my neck. _"I know, but today you weren't"_ _she said before pulling away and pouting at me._

"_But I could try and make it up to you" I replied grinning playfully_.

"_I don't know, that's a pretty big mistake to correct, and I'm not that easy to please."_

"_I'm sure I can think of something" I sighed, and gave her a smile._

Suddenly Sister Ernestine burst through Father Dominic's office and huffed out of the main office all together. I glanced over at Susannah and saw that she was holding in laughter. A few moments later Father Dominic appeared in his doorway, and ushered us into his office. I helped Susannah into her chair before sitting down myself, and grabbing Susannah's hand. She smiled at me and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, before turning to Father Dominic.

"Now, I'm glad I finally have the both of you in here, but under these circumstances, I am slightly disappointed. Now, can you two explain to me exactly what was going on, because Sister Ernestine must have been mistaken? She said you two looked as if you were kissing" he chuckled as if it were so farfetched even he couldn't believe it.

"Father D. we weren't kissing" Susannah said, and then added to me, _"not yet anyway."_

I laughed at little, but noticed the face Father Dominic made at me, so I tried to play it off as a cough.

"Then what exactly was happening in the graveyard?" Father Dominic asked sternly.

"Susannah and I were…discussing a new ability. Only, Susannah stumbled on a rock, and I merely prevented her from falling onto the stone path" I quickly lied.

Susannah shot me a warning glance, but then nodded her head in agreement. Father Dominic seemed pleased with this answer, so he relaxed and sighed, "Well, splendid. Now that we've got that matter taken care of we can discuss the obvious coincidence here."

"Umm…Father D. we kind of wanted to talk to you about something first" Susannah mumbled.

"Alright, what about?" he asked cheerfully.

"Uhh Padre, Susannah is…she's my Querida" I sheepishly answered.

"Green and radiant, like two sparkling emeralds" he whispered, using my exact words to describe Susannah's eyes. "Oh my…are you quite certain?" he asked looking slightly happy. As if he knew something Susannah and I didn't.

"Yes, I'm positive" I replied smiling at Susannah.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed. "Well, this changes things, but now things are going to be easier. How did you two discover this?"

"I…the dreams. I received the memories of another person. Only this person, is me, I think" I responded.

"Awh, yes. I knew they would figure out a way. Well, we have much to go over, but now isn't the time. I want both of you here early tomorrow morning. At least half an hour before first period. I'll have you both dismissed from classes, and I'll explain everything" he said, still looking happy.

"But, Father D. who figured what out? This is kind of important, I mean, we think that something totally Twilight Zone is going on here" Susannah replied, in a commanding tone.

"Susannah, don't worry. You and Jesse are going to be fine, but I must advise you both…steer clear of Paul Slater. If he somehow figures out that you two know something, he'll start prying and maybe even get his memories back as well. That would completely ruin everything, so stay away from him. Now, Susannah I realize you two dated, but did anything happen between you two?"

"How did you know that? And what kind of anything? Like, did we get physical?" she questioned.

I felt jealousy and anger inside of me rising, but Susannah squeezed my hand and gave me a warm smile. I calmed down a little, but just thinking of what that hijo de puta had done to mi Querida made me sick. I honestly felt my stomach churn, and as if the sandwich I'd eaten for lunch might come back up.

"Susannah! I didn't mean…well, in sense, but not so bluntly. And I have my ways of gathering information" he blurted.

"Oh, well…he tried, but nothing happened. Well, okay some things happened, but I wasn't into it so I kneed him and left. And we didn't date, we went out once."

"Well, did you two kiss?" Father Dominic asked interested.

"Like on the mouth? No, I wouldn't let him, so he went for my…never mind. I'm done talking now" she squeaked.

Suddenly my stomach stopped churning and instead the normal butterflies I have whenever Susannah is near me reappeared.

"Well that's a relief. If you two would have kissed, he might have gotten back his memories, and then he could manipulate your mind, so that your memories don't include those of Jesse or the horrible things he, himself has done to the both of you" Father Dominic sighed.

"Well, what would happen if Jesse and I were to kiss?" she asked, blushing slightly.

"Err-I suppose all your memories could be restored. But I think it best that we wait until I can make a few calls and check on a couple of things first."

"Father, what exactly is happening?" I questioned.

"Jesse, Susannah, this is an alternate life…Paul Slater created it, because in your other lives Susannah chooses you, instead of Paul. You see, this time the odds are in your favor, I'm sure much to Paul's chagrin. This time Paul doesn't remember any of his past knowledge. You two, or the other Susannah and Jesse, swore to foil his plan and even went so far as to make sure I was sent back here to help the both of you. Only, I was not to interfere unless somehow either one of you remembered. Now, I'll begin work on making sure we have everything we need for tomorrow, but Susannah I want you to teach Jesse everything you know about shifting. I'll excuse you both from the remainder of your classes, and take care of your homework. I want you two to focus on sharing your knowledge. Jesse, tell Susannah everything; the dreams, all of them, your newly found memories, and any other information you think might help.

"Together you two will most definitely defeat Mr. Slater, but Jesse must learn the extent of his mediator abilities, or shifter abilities really" Father Dominic explained excitedly.

"So…wait…Susannah and I are shifters? And, Paul Slater created this kind of alternate universe, so he could finally be with Susannah?" I asked, baffled.

"Yes and yes. Now go, you both have much to learn in very little time. And remember tomorrow be here at around 7:15." Father Dominic said as he shooed us out of office.

As Susannah and I walked out of the main office building and towards the student parking lot, I wondered what she had to teach me. "Hey Jesse, seeing as how we have all day to go over shifting stuff, and dream stuff, maybe we could just try…I mean, I know Father D. said not to, but the temptation is killing me, and-"

Susannah stopped talking right then because I interrupted her, well really I kissed her, but interrupted, kissed, same thing.

This time my mind didn't flash any mental images, because nothing could top the feel of Susannah's lips on mine. We staggered over, never unlocking our lips, to my car. We kissed for what seemed an eternity, but at the same time like it wasn't enough. When we finally did separate to catch our breath, Susannah looked at me with something I couldn't quite recognize in her eyes. We both smiled at each other as Susannah rested her forehead against mine, and just existed together. After a few minutes I broke the silence; "Susannah, did it work?"

"Jesse" she cooed, before bringing her lips unto my own.

'_I'll take that as a 'yes.'_


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: You guys rock so much, your reviews are so cheer-y and just make me want to update even sooner. So yeah, keep reading & reviewing!-Love, Lauren

:Chapter 10:

"Jesse you're making it too complicated. Just relax and focus. Concentrate on the place you want to go" Susannah instructed me for about the hundredth time. We were sitting out behind the rectory, in the small garden Father Dominic keeps. We'd been going over shifting stuff for almost 4 hours, but I didn't mind. Susannah is quite a teacher.

"But, I'm quite content with where I am right now. Why would I want to materialize anywhere else?" I flirtatiously asked.

"Jesse, normally that works on me, but right now you have to learn how to do this. Father Dominic sounded really serious about this. You have to get this stuff down. Come on, you already have mind blocking, mind control, telekinesis, shifting, and the main idea of time traveling-seeing as how Father D. is completely against it-down. This is pretty much all you have left to master."

"I know, it's just…I'm a little nervous about it. I've never just appeared somewhere before. Besides where can I go?" I replied.

"Okay, here's the deal, I'm going to materialize in my room, and if you materialize there within the next 5 minutes I'll…I don't know, want do you want?"

'_Well…No! De Silva, don't think of her like that! She is a respectable woman.'_

"Umm, I don't know" I nervously answered.

"Come on, you have to want something" she said smiling mischievously.

"Nope" I calmly stated.

"Jesse De Silva! You're a boy, I'm a girl. A **teenage** boy at that. There has to be something you want from me" she blurted.

"Susannah" I squeaked nervously.

"Okay, I got it…you get to my room in the next 5 minutes, and I'll flash you" she triumphantly announced.

"F-flash me?" I stammered.

"Yes, and you've got 5 minutes starting now" she said, before de-materializing.

I blinked a couple times to see if she had really gone. When it finally hit me what she meant by 'flash you', I quickly closed my eyes and thought, _'Okay, must focus. Susannah's room; frilly canopy bed, throw pillows, pink, lace, window seat."_ And when opened my eyes I was there.

"I knew that'd get you here" Susannah chimed from her window seat.

"I only came to test this out, not to get a prize, or bribe really" I replied.

"Sure" she said smiling, before walking towards me and sliding her arms around my neck. I brought my arms around her waist, pulled her close to me, and smiled back.

"Querida, I don't want you to fla-"

"Jesse, a deal's a deal. Besides it's nothing you haven't seen before" she interrupted.

"Well…I owe you from before, so can we just call it even?" I asked nervously, because just the thought of Susannah's bare chest was 'exciting' me. Even though part of my mind told me nothing was wrong with it, because Susannah and I are married, the other part reminded me it was the other Susannah and Jesse that are married.

"If you insist" she purred, after she had lowered my head down so our lips were only about an inch apart. I quickly closed the space between us and kissed her with all the emotions I'd had to hide for almost four months. Deep down I felt something else when I kissed Susannah, something I knew was love. She kissed back with just as much emotion, and ran her fingers through my hair, which made me tingle in pleasure.

Suddenly someone gently knocked on Susannah's door and slowly opened it, saying "Hey Suze, CeeCee's here look-"

Susannah and I pulled apart and blushed furiously. "Awh, David…I'll be right down. Just tell CeeCee to hang out for awhile" Susannah said.

"Umm, sure. Suze, can I talk to you for a second though" the boy, apparently Susannah's stepbrother David, asked.

"Yeah, just let me…uhh, never mind. I'll be right back" she sighed, giving me a reassuring smile before she followed David out into the hallway and then into, I'm assuming his room.

"Nombre de Dios" I mumbled after I was sure neither Susannah, nor David could hear me. When I stopped blushing, I sat down on Susannah's window seat and thought _"Why does that always happen? Wait…this seems very surreal. David. This has happened before. David walked in on us before. Our first kiss. That's when David, came in just like n-"_

"Suze? Are you in here? Cause I'm getting weirded out. David's being all-" CeeCee rambled on until she noticed me.

"Umm, hi" I coughed out.

"Jesse, what are _you _doing here?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I…I am working on homework with Susannah."

"In her bedroom? With no books or anything?"

"We were taking a study break" I lied.

"Then, where's your car?" she questioned, her eyebrows raising even more.

"My…my mom needed it. We walked here from my house" I explained.

"O-kay. Where's Suze?" she cheerfully asked, her eyebrows down to their normal position.

"She's talking to David, about something" I answered.

"Oh. Where'd you guys sneak off to after school? Adam and I were gonna see if you two wanted to go to the Coffee Clutch with us."

"Err-Father Dominic asked us to run an errand for him."

"Why did he ask you guys?" she questioned.

"Umm, we were in his office after school, and he just asked" I fibbed.

"Urgh, David is seriously going to be hurt if he keeps walking in on us like th-" Susannah huffed, walking into her room, but stopping when she saw CeeCee standing by her bead.

"Walked in on you?" CeeCee asked, again raising her eyebrows.

"Umm…yeah. He should know by now to knock. Me and Jesse were…discussing, something" Susannah mumbled.

"Uh huh, sure. Listen, I was just wondering if we're still on for Friday night" CeeCee said, looking at Susannah and me curiously.

"Oh, yeah. Totally. Cee you know I've been looking forward to that since I got here" Susannah replied happily.

"Okay, good. We'll walk over to the salon, and then I can have Adam bring us back here."

"Perfect" Susannah chirped.

"Alright, well I'll let you two get back to studying" CeeCee said using air quotes on 'studying'.

"Oh, okay. Bye Cee" Susannah said hugging CeeCee before opening her bedroom door.

"Bye Suze, bye Jesse. Behave yourselves" she sang walking out into the hallway and then gingerly making her way down the stairs.

"Sorry" Susannah mumbled, making her way over to the window seat after closing her door. She stopped right in front of me, and appeared to be deep in thought.

"For what Querida?" I asked feeling confused.

"David. Him walking in on us, again. CeeCee barging in her. You know, all that" she explained taking my hand in her own. I smiled up at her as she played with my hand; running her fingers along my palm, rubbing my knuckles, caressing my fingertips lightly.

"That wasn't your fault" I assured her.

"I know, but…I should lock my door, and remind CeeCee not to just pop in" Susannah muttered.

"Did you lock your door right now?" I questioned, a mischievous smile creeping onto my face.

"Yeah, why?" she asked, completely ignoring my playful tone.

I grinned and pulled her into my lap before answering "I wouldn't want David to walk in on us again."

Susannah, catching my drift, smiled back at me and replied "I agree." Slowly she lowered her lips down to mine and we kissed.

After about a good half hour of making out, we lounged on her window seat. I was propped against the wall with one leg up, while Susannah sat in front of me, relaxing against my chest.

"Querida…isn't this kind of weird?" I wondered aloud.

"Weird how so?" she asked lifting her head up a little to look into my eyes.

"Well, I feel like I'm divided in two. I mean there's the normal part of me that tells me I'm an eighteen year old boy, graduating from high school this year, and am extremely attracted to you. But, then there's another part of me; the part from the other me. It's telling me that I'm twenty nine, a doctor and married to the most caring, beautiful woman ever. I feel kind of…divided, you know."

"Thank God it's not just me!" she sighed, turning around to face me. "I feel the same way, but I think that if we can block those thoughts out, and just bring them up when necessary, we'll be fine. I mean at first I was freaking out. I'm surprised you didn't notice me keep checking to make sure my stomach was flat."

"Why were you doing that?"

"Because-uh oh."

"Uh oh' what?" I impatiently asked.

"Umm, Jesse don't get mad that I didn't tell you. It's just that, Paul was harassing us, Father Dominic was always with us, and CeeCee kept popping in" she whined.

"Susannah, what aren't you telling me?" I questioned sternly.

"Jesse, I'm preg-no, wait…I was, pregnant."

I stared at her, her seventeen year old self, holding the knowledge and memories of my almost twenty five year old wife.

"Querida, are you sure?"

"Yeah, the morning all of this started I went to the doctor's and he confirmed it. CeeCee came with me, cause I wanted to surprise you later. But, Paul got to us first…" she trailed off looking down.

My face lit up and I gently lifted Susannah's chin up. "That's great!" I shouted, wrapping my arms around her.

"I know…but Jesse, Paul took all that away. Now, now we're back to square one. We're not even done with high school" she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Susannah, it's okay. I'm just sorry I wasn't able to stop this. I promise to make it up to you. After Paul is gone, we can get back to our normal lives."

"Jesse, I don't think we can. What if this is permanent? What if we're stuck here, forever? We'll have to start all over again."

"Then we'll get through it, together" I stated, rubbing Susannah's back reassuringly. She gave me a watery smile, and I quickly wiped away her tears. "No llorars mi amor" I cooed. She laughed and replied "Even after all these years I still have no idea what you're saying."

"Well maybe this time you'll let me teach you" I said.

"We tried, but if I remember correctly, someone wouldn't stop kissing me during our lessons" she shot back, smiling playfully. I smiled and pulled her close to me before kissing her again. I could feel her smiling against my lips, and as I slowly inched my hand under her blouse, towards her bra. Then David banged roughly on the door.

"Suze! Suze, that Paul guy is back and he won't go away" David shouted.

"You've got to be kidding me" Susannah whined, jumping off my lap.

"Querida, we don't know what he's capable of, maybe I should go-"

"Jesse, he can't know you're here. I'm…I'm going to try and reason with him. You go back to the rectory and get our stuff. Then drive back here, and say…say I forgot my bag in your car, okay?" she said, looking worried.

"I'm not leaving you alone with **him**" I replied, anger boiling over inside me.

"Jesse" she purred, "go, do it. It'll only take you a few minutes. Besides I'm not alone, David's here. He knows that if Paul gets aggressive he has to call the cops."

"Susannah, I don't like this, what if-"

"Right now we have to focus on doing this. We can't think about the 'what if's" she interrupted.

"Fine" I relented. "I'll see you in a few minutes. I love you." _'Whoa, that was weird. Oh no, what if I was too forward…I am her husband though. Deep down, I know she loves me. She's told me enough times to reassure me too.'_

Susannah didn't freak out though she beamed and gave me a brief peck on the lips before replying "I love you too."

Then we went our separate ways; her downstairs to deal with Paul, while I de-materialized back to the rectory's garden. I felt something wrong though. I had a bad feeling about this. Something didn't seem right. I quickly gathered me and Susannah's things, and jumped into my car. The drive seemed like an eternity. Everyone seemed to be driving at a snail-pace just to slow me down. The bad feeling I had only grew when I suddenly heard Susannah in my mind; _"JESSE! Help me!" _


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: thanks for the reviews!

Answer to review pregunta: Suze isn't pregnant in this life she was in the other one before Paul created the alternate universe. She just got freaked out that she might be pregnant in this life. So yeah, sorry for the confusion. Hope that clarifies things. – Lauren

:Chapter 11:

When I finally got back to Susannah's house there were two other vehicles parked outside: a police car, and an ambulance. I haphazardly parked my car and ran over to see where Susannah was. I noticed David talking to one of the police officers, while the other was standing outside the ambulance looking impatient.

"I'm fine, really! He barely even touched me" came Susannah's wail from inside the ambulance. I quickly rushed over and saw her sitting on the cushioned bench, holding an ice pack to her head, while an EMT checked her vitals.

"Susannah, are you alright? What happened?" I asked hurriedly. Her face lit up when she saw me and she tried to jump out of the ambulance, but the EMT sat her back down, while sending me a warning glare.

Over by David, another EMT was bandaging a very battered and bruised Paul Slater. I couldn't help but smirk, and when Paul noticed me he sent me an evil glance. David however came rushing over towards me and quickly filled me in on what had happened. "Well, Paul tried to grab Suze, but she slapped him. Then he got mad and smacked her. That's when I called the cops. But by the time they'd gotten here Suze had already beat him pretty good. He got a couple punches in, but he nearly knocked her when he grabbed a rock and hit her head. But…I think she might have broken his nose" he said, quickly.

A few minutes later Susannah trudged over to where David and I were standing, still holding the ice pack to her head. "I can't believe they made me get checked out. He didn't even hit me that hard" she whined. I pulled her into a gentle hug and stroked her hair.

"I was so worried. ¿Que paso Querida? Are you alright?" I nervously rambled glancing over her to make sure she was okay.

"I'm fine. It's Paul who needs the medical attention, not me. He should consider himself lucky too. If those cops hadn't pulled me off of him, I would've really hurt him" she answered cheerfully.

"Susannah, are you sure you're alright? I heard you calling, and…"

"Jesse, I just panicked. He said something really weird, and I just got a little jumpy, especially when he grabbed that rock. Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you" she sheepishly replied. I smiled at her and gently tucked some of her hair behind her ear, before cupping her face.

Just then one the officers came over to Susannah and wanted to ask her a few questions. Needless to say we broke apart, and Susannah huffed after the officer. Luckily both Susannah and Officer Petty spoke loudly, so it was very easy to eavesdrop. Susannah answered all of Officer Petty's questions happily, and gave a thorough description of the fight. He laughed and took notes in his little note pad, while Susannah recounted the exact moment she heard the crunch sound of Paul's nose breaking. After he'd gathered all the information he needed he asked Susannah if she wanted to place a restraining order against her attacker, in addition to the charge of assault and battery. Susannah simply laughed and replied "I think you should ask him that" nodding at Paul. The officer then went over and interrogated Paul, before cuffing him and leading him into the patrol car a little while later.

"This isn't over Suze, not by a long shot" Paul muttered as Officer Petty pushed him into the squad car forcefully. He then slammed the door shut, nearly hitting Paul's broken nose, which made Paul jump back. I chuckled as the car drove away, and Paul sent angry glares over at me and Susannah.

About twenty minutes later the ambulance left, leaving Susannah, David, and I alone. David, trying to avoid an awkward situation, went back into the house in a hurry saying something about having to work on homework. Susannah and I stayed outside, but walked over to her porch holding hands. We sat down on the swing and stayed quiet, just taking each other in.

"That bastard!" she exclaimed looking at her arm.

"What's wrong?" I snapped trying to see what she was looking at.

"That's gonna turn purple. Great, now I'll have an ugly bruise there tomorrow" she huffed, showing me her arm. It was slightly swollen and red, which meant that she would have a hideous bruise there come tomorrow. Luckily that was the worst of her injuries; her head wasn't that bad, but she made me kiss it to make it better.

"I thought it was something serious" I teased her.

"It is serious. I'm going to have to wear something with long sleeves tomorrow" she replied frowning. I laughed and Susannah sent me a serious look, but smiled after a few seconds.

"Umm, Suze…?" David said softly from the doorway.

"Yes David" Susannah sang.

"Brad just called and said he and Jake were going to some party in the valley, so not to expect them home 'till whenever" he mumbled.

"Oh, umm okay. I guess I can whip us up something for dinner. It won't be like Andy's cooking, but I can promise not to burn anything" Susannah joked.

"Well, I was kind of going to suggest that we got out of the house. My friend Trevor said me and Max could stay over…if it's okay with you though…but if you want I could stay home with you-"

"David, you can stay at Trevor's, just call my cell if you need anything" she interrupted.

"Okay, thanks Suze" he chimed, "but, if you're staying here, no boys allowed after eight."

Susannah smiled at David and replied "Don't worry I'll probably call CeeCee and ask if I can stay at her place tonight. And David…thanks."

David walked over and gave Susannah a warm hug before turning his attention to me. He puffed out his chest and put a stern look on his face. "Now, Suze is a responsible young la-I mean woman, and I trust her judgment, but you had better respect my sister. If I hear you hurt her in anyway, you'll have me and my brothers to deal with" he stated.

"David" Susannah squeaked, turning an adorable shade of pink.

I was desperately trying not to laugh, and somehow I managed to keep a straight face while I replied, "I would never dream of hurting, or disrespecting your sister David. Of that, I can assure you."

"Good…Jesse, right?" he asked.

"Yes, Jesse de Silva" I answered.

David then returned to his usual self and went back inside the house. Suddenly I wondered '_How did David know my name? I had never been formally introduced to him…well, at least not in this lifetime. How-'_

"I had to tell him after he caught us in my room earlier" Susannah said with a smile.

"Were you listening to my thoughts?" I questioned, slightly amused.

"Just a little" she sighed.

"I thought no one could penetrate through one of those mind blocks?"

"No, you can't, but I can" she replied knowingly.

"Oh, I see. And when were you planning on telling me this?" I asked, still amused.

"I don't know, when the time was right…Well, I better call Cee and ask if I can stay over" Susannah said getting up.

"You could" I said, pulling her back onto the swing, "or, you could stay over at my house."

Susannah's eyes widened and she coughed a little before managing to say "Are you serious!"

"Of course. My mom keeps a guest bedroom for when a relative or something comes to visit. You wouldn't stay **with** me, but it's across the hall from my room" I explained.

"Really? You're not kidding?" Susannah questioned.

"Querida, I'm sure. Besides my mom would love to meet you, as would all my sisters" I answered.

"And your parents won't mind? I don't to-"

"Susannah, my mom won't mind. My dad is out of town though, so you'll only meet the women folk" I interrupted her. She smiled and got back up, heading inside.

"Where are you going?" I asked/

"To get my stuff together and change" she cheered.

'_My family finally gets to meet Susannah. I wonder what they'll think of her. My sisters will adore her, but mi Mamá-'_

Suddenly my cell phone started ringing, so I quickly answered, seeing that it was my mom.

"Hello" I answered.

"Mijo, listen I have to go into work early, can you get home soon?"

"Actually Mamá, I need to ask you something first."

"Okay, dígame."

"Can a friend of mine stay in the guest room? It's just, I don't want her to stay at her house because she'd be all alone, and-"

"Jesse, are we talking about Susannah?" she wisely assumed.

"Si Mamá."

"As long as she stays **in** the guest room, but I want to meet her first. I'll be leaving in about 15 minutes I want you home in no more than eight. Bring her with you too."

"Alright, we'll be there, gracias Mamá."

"De nada Mijo, adios."

"Bye."

About three minute after I'd hung up Susannah appeared carrying a medium sized bag, and wearing charcoal slacks and a lavender button down shirt with ¾ sleeves. "I'm all set" she said closing the door behind her.

"Why did you change?" I asked.

"Because, I'm meeting your family. I want to like decent. Why? Does it look like I'm trying too hard?" she nervously rambled.

"No, you look wonderful. Now come on my mom has to go into work early so you'll only get to see her for a few minutes" I replied, taking Susannah bag as we walked towards my car. I opened her door and helped her in before putting her over night bag in the trunk, with our back packs. When I got into the car Susannah leaned over the gear shift and gave me a long, lingering kiss.

"What was that for?" I asked, still in daze, even after a few minutes had passed.

"In case I don't get to do that the rest of the night" she happily responded.

I drove home grinning like an idiot, while Susannah kept asking me if my mom would like her.

"Querida, of course she'll like you. Don't work, just be your self" I answered every time she asked.

As I parked the car my mom came out the front door and waved excitedly. I quickly got out, opened Susannah's door, and despite her protests, carried both our back packs and her over night bag.

"Hola Mijo. Hello, you must be Susannah. Jesse's told us so much about you" greeted my mother before hugging Susannah.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. de Silva. And I can't thank you enough for letting me stay the night in your home" Susannah cheerfully replied.

"Oh, well Jesse's has been talking nonstop about you since yesterday, and I couldn't pass up the chance to meet you.

"Now, I have to be going to work, but dinner's in the oven, and there's freshly baked cookies for dessert. If you kids need anything, call me okay?" my mom said in a hurried tone, before getting into her car and waving good-bye to us as she drove away.

"I think she likes you" I said to Susannah as we made our way up the path to my house.

"You really think so?" she nervously asked.

"Yes, she even baked for you; she never bakes unless someone important is coming. Now, that was the easy part…now come my sisters" I warned her.

"Anyone in particular I should try and bond with?" she questioned.

"Marta, and probably Mapi I guess. Mapi won't like sharing me very much" I answered, opening the front door.

The second we walked in Carmen, Josefina, Mercedes, and Marta all came running to see who this strange girl I'd brought home was. Marta squealed when she saw Susannah and threw her arms around her. They started talking as if they were old friends, and then Mercedes, Carmen, and Josefina joined in. Mapi then appeared from the living room and exclaimed "You're the pretty, dancing girl from the video Jesse brought home!" Susannah smiled, and Mapi ran over to Susannah and hugged her waist. Susannah then lifted Mapi into her arms and carried her, setting her on her hip and saying something that made Mapi giggle happily. Marta gave me an approving glance and then she and my other sisters led Susannah upstairs.

I trailed after them, but put Susannah's things in the guest room, and then dropped my back pack in my room. Just then Marta skipped over to me smiling brightly.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked cautiously.

"Suze, and you, I guess" she answered.

"What about us?"

"I knew it!" she exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, completely baffled.

"You said 'us', meaning you and Suze are a thing now. I already knew, but hearing you say it makes it soo cute" she squealed.

"Marta, we aren't a real 'thing' yet. We haven't even gone out yet, so stop planning the wedding."

"Please, you are so a 'thing" she sighed "and I'm not planning the wedding. I'm working on the bridal shower, and then I'll start working on the wedding plans."

"Very funny" I grumbled.

"I thought so" she retorted, walking over towards her room.

I followed behind her, and saw a scheme that nearly made me melt; Susannah gossiping away with Josefina and Mercedes, while Carmen was admiring her newly braided hair in the vanity mirror. Susannah was sitting on Marta's bed French braiding Mapi's hair, and advising Marta that some new designer is coming out with a new line of vintage t-shirts. I cleared my throat to alert them of my presence. Susannah smiled at me and finished Mapi's hair.

"Excuse me ladies, but I'm afraid I have to steal Susannah for awhile; we have some homework to do" I said holding out my hand for Susannah. She blushed slightly, excused herself, and took my hand, smiling.

"Jesse, do you like my hair?" Mapi asked, standing besides Susannah.

"Yes its beautiful my little Mapi-posa" I answered. She smiled up at Susannah and replied, "Suze did it. She's really fun, and she even said she knows the songs from Dora the Explorer! Can she always be your special friend?"

Marta, Mercedes, and Josefina erupted in laughter, while Susannah and I blushed.

"Who told you that?" I asked, trying to sound calm and collected.

"Marta" she answered. I glared over at Marta, and she stopped laughing.

"Well, Susannah…she's my…" I trailed off, blushing again.

"Yes, Mapi, I'll always be Jesse's friend" Susannah said, coming to my rescue.

"Good, I like her. I think she's the bestest, prettiest, funniest friend you have" she stated, smiling up at Susannah and me.

I smiled down at my youngest sister and replied "I think so too."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: To all you who support me by reading and/or reviewing this story, I just want to say thank you with all my heart, and again warn you about my soon-to-be less frequent updates. This one even took awhile, so yeah, sorry. School-or hell as I like to lovingly refer to it-has begun, so I'll try and post in a week or so. Probably more like two weeks though. Sorry! –Love, Lauren

:Chapter 12:

Susannah propped herself up on her elbows, and looked over at me. "Oh, okay I have one; April Sixth" she announced proudly.

"Okay, okay, so I don't know every band that you like, but I believe my exact word was 'most', not all" I replied, lifting myself up as well.

"You know, I never really took you for the rocker type" she said in a teasing manner.

"Oh, excuse me I haven't been wearing my Ramones t-shirt, or my tight black pants" I teased.

She giggled, but responded with "Yeah, you don't even have emo hair."

"Sorry, I ran out of gel just this morning, but I have been wearing my Chucks" I countered.

"True, but just because you wear Chucks doesn't qualify you as a rocker. Besides, you were listening to hip-hop in the car." She grinned at me, before lying back on her stomach.

"That was Marta; she's always changing the station. Normally I've got some CD's in the car" I said, turning on my side so I could see her reaction. Okay, so I could stare at her, but she is my girlfriend, I'm allowed to stare…a little.

"I see, and what CD's do you normally have in there?" she asked curiously, turning on her side, so we were face-to-face.

"Well…mostly Sum 41, Linkin Park, some A.F.I., The Killers, oh, and AAR."

"Ohmygawd, I love AAR!" she squealed, bouncing around happily. I laughed at her childish excitement, and scooted closer to her. Susannah came a little closer too, causing me to smile. Slowly I placed my arm on her hip, while propping myself up with my other arm. She propped herself up to, and gently ran her fingers through my hair. Suddenly a playful grin crept unto her face and she messed my hair up, pointing and laughing at how funny I looked. I pulled her closer to me and brought my mouth over her's. She stopped laughing, and reciprocated the action cheerfully.

Holding Susannah close to me, like now, made me feel things I'd never felt before. She made me feel like we were the only two people in the entire universe. When we kissed, I could swear time stopped, and all that mattered was us and this moment.

Susannah ran her palm along my stomach, under my shirt, making me shiver in delight. Just knowing she was here with me, kissing me, more than willingly, was turning me on, but her touch was driving me wild. Her skin against mine felt…I don't know…there are no words to describe the feel of it. Somehow my hand decided to do some roaming of its own and slowly it crept up Susannah blouse, making her let out a soft moan. That moan spurred me on, and so I moved my hand further up until I felt the lacey material of Susannah's bra. Again she moaned, only this time she moaned my name. "Jesse" she panted, her breathe warm against my cheek. I looked up into her eyes, and somehow I knew she wasn't just seeing me. The intensity of her gaze, made me think she could see my soul.

I smiled at her and inched my mouth back towards her until I was startled by a very familiar sounding voice.

"_Nombre de Dios! What are you doing? Susannah is a respectable young woman and you will not rob her of her innocence!" _

It took me a moment to realize I was the only one who could hear this voice. Susannah sent me a confused look after I'd stopped moving my head back towards her's. "Jesse is everything alright?" she asked eagerly. Her eyes looked right at me expectantly. I think she might have thought she'd done something wrong, as if that's even possible.

I groaned, and reluctantly removed my hands from under Susannah's blouse. "It appears that the original Jesse de Silva does not approve of my behavior" I huffed.

"Oh yeah…he always was a bit old fashioned" she sighed, while adjusting her shirt.

I climbed off my bed and helped Susannah up before saying, "We should eat now, it's already getting dark."

"Okay" she chimed merrily opening my door and prancing out into the hallway.

I smiled and followed behind her. She had no idea where the kitchen or dining room was so I gently placed my hands on her hips and guided her downstairs to the kitchen. When we got there Marta was just finishing cleaning up and she eyed Susannah and me curiously.

"All done with your _homework_?" she asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

"Yes, we just finished" I replied, putting my arm around Susannah's waist. She smiled up at me and strung her arm around me, resting her hand against my back.

"Ewhh, if you guys are going to be all touch-y I'm going upstairs" she whined, grabbing a bottle of water and scurrying past Susannah and I.

"Hungry?" I asked, glancing down at Susannah.

"Yeah, what are we eating?" she replied, looking up into my eyes.

"Uhh…what ever my mom left" I answered blushing at how embarrassing that must sound.

"Hmm, sounds yummy" she teased, walking over to my fridge. I could tell she felt comfortable here, and I loved that; the way she just casually opened up the refrigerator and started looking around, made me beam.

"What's with the smile?" Susannah asked playfully, a smile threatening to creep unto her face.

"Nothing, I'm just enjoying the view" I said, coming up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist, and trailing kisses all over her neck.

"Jesse," she sighed, "later. Right now, we have to eat something."

"Are you sure? I believe the living room is unoccupied" I invited, kissing her collar bone.

She let out a deep sigh, and closed the refrigerator door. Susannah turned around in my arms, and gave me a brief peck, then said "If we don't eat now, we won't eat at all. We have that training thing with Father D. all day tomorrow, we're going to need all the strength we can get, meaning; eating a nice dinner, and going to sleep early."

"But…Querida, we can eat and rest later" I whined, kissing her neck again.

"If we start something up again, don't you think your former self will object again…besides, we don't know how much control they have over all this. They could be watching us right now, Jesse."

"Then let them watch" I said before lifting Susannah up onto the counter and kissing her passionately. She wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me closer to her, and kissed back. As her fingers raked through my hair, making my scalp tingle, our tongues explored each other's mouth. I had one hand on her small of her back, and the other was running up and down Susannah's thigh.

"Jesse…" she panted when we parted to catch our breath.

"Querida" I panted back, resting my forehead against her's.

"We have to…stop. Later…" she said, her breath still ragged and passion filled. _'And guess who that passion is for? Oh, that would be ME! I, Jesse De Silva can make her voice sound like that. Can life get any better? I think not.'_

"Promise?" I asked, trying to calm my racing heart.

"Absolutely" she responded, smiling. I helped her off the counter, and went back to the fridge.

"Okay, on tonight's menu we have broccoli cheese casserole, a side salad, and I think we have some sparkling cider in the pantry" I announced.

"Wow, I feel at home" Susannah said, smiling.

"Oh, and for dessert, we have either some chocolate pudding, or strawberries and whipped cream."

"Have I told you how cute you are?" Susannah asked, coming to stand beside me.

"Really? I'm cute, huh?" I teased.

"Oh yeah, all the time" she replied, "but, right now you need to stop being cute, because you being cute leads to us making out on counters."

I smiled, and kissed her forehead before making her go sit down at the table.

"But I want to help…I feel bad, you doing all the work" she complained.

"Querida, you are a guest in my home and I will cater to you as long as you are here" I told her for about the fifth time.

"Just while I'm staying here? So what, you're going to make me do everything after I leave?" she questioned playfully.

"No, I am a gentleman, and shall help you in whatever I can; which means I will treat you like the respectable young lady that you are" I answered, while sticking our plates in the microwave.

"I think I like it better when you treat me like your teenage girlfriend, while still cherishing me" she said, smiling.

"Then your wish is my command."

"Hmm…I like the sound of that" she giggled.

I retrieved our plates from the microwave, and served us each salad before looking for the cider in my pantry. After I grabbed two glasses, I placed a plate in front of Susannah, and another one next her. When I finally sat down I noticed that Susannah was smiling proudly at me.

"What did I do?" I asked confused.

"You cooked…well, you reheated, but still you served dinner, and it's really sweet and romantic. Thank you" she beamed, leaning over and giving me a light peck.

"It was nothing" I graciously replied.

"What was nothing Mijo?…oh, I didn't realize you had a guest" said my father, looking uncomfortable from the kitchen doorway.


	13. Chapter 13

:Chapter 13:

"¿Papá? Que haces aqui? Mamá nos dijo que ibas estar en Dallas por todo la semana" I squeaked.

"Ah…mi cliente concordó en firmar sobre el control de su compañía a su hijo, así que todo obtuvo asentado ya. ¿Quién es tu amiga?" he asked, sounding a bit smug.

"Oh, Papá, this is Susannah. Susannah this is my father" I said, making brief introductions. Susannah smiled up at my father, stood up, and stuck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you Mr. De Silva" she chirped.

"Yes, it's nice to finally meet you. Maricella told me about how Jesse and you are study buddies. Although, she didn't mention romantic dinners being involved" he teased.

"Oh, ah…Papá, can I speak to you in the living room?" I questioned, standing up, and urging him with my eyes to agree.

"Claro que si hijo. Bye Susannah" he said stepping out of the room.

I turned to look at Susannah and said "Querida, I need to talk with my dad really fast, I'll be right back."

"Okay, no problem" she replied smiling at me. I quickly pecked her cheek and walked into the living room. My father was sitting in his usual recliner, taking his shoes off. I cleared my throat to alert him of my presence, and he looked up, smirking.

"So…?" I asked.

"Jesse…she seems very nice. Respectful and polite, I liked that, but are you serious about her?"

"Si Papá. She's everything and anything I could ask for…and them some" I gushed.

"Ay, so it's true?" he questioned, almost wincing. I stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

"You've fallen in love" he sighed, sounding rather annoyed.

I stood there in silence, wondering what on earth I could possibly say. _'Of course I love Susannah, but everyone thinks we've only known each other two days.'_

"Mijo, listen…I understand that your hormones might be confusing you, but don't do something stupid. The girl…she seems nice…have fun with her, just don't fall in love with her."

"It's too late for that" I stated confidently, maybe a little too confidently.

"Hector, don't be foolish! You're too young to know what love really is-"

"You're wrong. I love Susannah. When I'm with her, I feel like…myself. I feel whole. She's my soul mate, Papá."

"I knew having all these women around you would affect you, but this…this is something serious" he replied rubbing his temples.

"If you don't approve, I'm not going to apologize, she makes me happy and she will be in life" I said, hurrying to get the words out of my mouth. And then I added "Besides you and Mamá were just as young as I am, when you were _engaged." _When I heard myself say them, I realized I was walking on dangerous ground.

"Hector, things were different then. Certain things were expected of us, not like now" he said cringing.

"But you two were in love, right?"

"Mijo, don't try and change the subject. This is about you and that…that girl."

Realization came over me slowly. And as it pieced together in my mind, I wanted nothing more than to block it out.

"It was arranged" I mumbled, more to myself than to my father. By his reaction I knew it was true. He just sat there, breathing, and staring straight ahead. The big vein in his forehead looking so large, it was almost frightening.

I couldn't take this anymore; the awkward silence, the tension, so I did something very unlike myself: I ran away.

I huffed back through the kitchen, not able to even glance in Susannah's direction, and roughly pushed past the back door.

"Jesse-?" Susannah called after me. But I couldn't stop, not when it felt like my world was crumbling around me. '_My parents didn't find each other; they were pushed together by their families. My father would rather I 'play the field' than find happiness with the girl of my dreams…literally.'_

When I reached one of stone dividers in the back yard, I looked out at the setting sun on the horizon and waited. For what, I have no idea, but something inside me told me to wait.

I heard the back door open cautiously and then quiet foot steps come toward me. At first I thought it was my father, but the careful steps made me think otherwise.

"Jesse?" Susannah's gentle voice came, wavering slightly. She was a few feet behind me, and I could tell she was worried; maybe even a little frightened. Again I heard her almost silent steps nearing closer, and then she stopped. The only reason I even knew she was still there was by her breathing. "I think I'm going to go home" she mumbled, shuffling her feet.

"Querida, please don't" I almost pleaded, still not being able to face her.

"No, I'm just creating trouble, and you don't need that" she replied, her voice cracking.

"Susannah, please don't leave" I breathed, finally summing up enough courage to turn around and face her.

Why I waited so long to look at her puzzled me. She was glowing in the dimming orange and pink colors of the sunset. The natural highlights in her chestnut hair shimmering brilliantly. Her eyes, shone with tears threatening to overflow at any second, and I realized what I had been waiting for.

"Jesse, I heard…" she trailed off, her eyes brimming with wetness.

I quickly walked over to her and pulled her into my arms. Tears dampened my shirt, and inside I felt horrible, because I knew I was partially responsible for those tears. Absent-mindedly I stroked her hair and told her, in Spanish, that everything would be alright, and how beautiful she looked, even teary-eyed.

"Querida, no matter what, you will be part of my life. I love you too much to ever let you go" I said, my voice sounding husky.

"I d-don't wa-want t-to cause pro-problems in y-your family" she managed to get out in between sobs.

"Susannah, all my family wants is for me to be happy. Once they see that we're serious and in love, they'll approve. Besides, my mom and sisters all love you. We just have to give my father some time. He'll come around" I reassured her.

"B-but, I h-heard J-Jesse…he w-wants you t-to have f-fun, not b-be co-committed."

"It's too late, because I'm definitely committed" I responded, holding her tighter. She lifted her head from my chest and looked up into my eyes. Her lower lip quivered slightly, and her eyes still appeared to be ready to release even more moisture.

"Jesse" she sighed, finally gaining control of her sobs, "maybe he's r-right."

"No, he's not; because if it involves us not being together, than it's most definitely not happening" I said, suddenly realizing something.

"Querida, come on, I want to show you something" I shyly told her, releasing her from my embrace, but taking her hand and pulling her along.

"Where are we going?" she asked, curiosity oozing from her tone.

"You'll see" I coyly replied, sending her a mischievous smile.

We walked along for about ten minutes before we finally reached it. About ten feet in front of us stood the swing set my father and I built before Carmen was born. It had two swings, a slide, monkey bars, and one of those see-saw type swings too.

Susannah smiled up at me proudly and then blurted "Last one on a swing is a rotten egg!" before running towards the swings.

Needless to say, she won, but her gloating wasn't too bad. Plus she wrinkles up her nose in this really cute way when she smiles victoriously.

She sat down on one of the swings, her back facing me, and looked out at the setting sun; its colors changing by the minute.

I came up behind her and asked "Wanna push?"

She eagerly nodded and then tilted her head back so I could look into her stunning eyes. I leaned down and lightly touched my lips to her's. I could feel her smiling against my lips, and as I pulled away she cooed "I love you Jesse."

Inside my heart sang and I proudly responded with "And I love you, Susannah."

After about an hour Susannah and I were sitting on the top of the slide, looking up at the stars. She was sitting on my lap, my arms wrapped around her waist to make sure she wouldn't get too cold.

"Jesse…" Susannah whispered.

"Umm hmm" I sighed, softly kissing the side of her neck.

"What if he doesn't come around…?"

"We'll think about that later, if he doesn't. Right now, though, I just want to sit here with you" I mumbled, nuzzling my face in her hair.

"But, I don't want to like, cause a family rift" she whined.

"Querida, you are my soul mate I know it, and I am not losing you" I said, tightening my hold on her.

"Not if I have my way" Paul Slater said smirking, from a few feet away.


	14. Chapter 14

:Chapter 14:

I glanced around at the surrounding area, sensing something was wrong. The way the bushes were swaying in the breeze, didn't seem right. The odd shadows being cast by the orange tree looked like a person's. Panic over took me as I wondered the fastest way back to the house. _'What if it's Paul?'_

"Susannah" I mumbled, keeping my voice hushed.

"Hmm" she replied sleepily.

"Querida, we have to get back to the house now… I think we are not alone" I whispered.

I felt her entire body tense, and her grasp on my hand became tighter. Not that I minded.

"Wh-what should we do?" she questioned.

"How can fast can you run in those shoes?" I asked looking down at her high heels.

"Umm…not that fast. But I can take them off" she responded quietly.

"No, don't do that. You'll injure your feet on all the rocks."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" she questioned, her voice sounding panicked.

"Let me climb down, then…then you can jump on my back" I answered starting to move towards the ladder and lift Susannah off my lap.

"Are you serious? Jesse, I don't want you to hurt yourself because I needed a piggy-back ride" she retorted.

"Hurt myself?" I echoed, "Querida, you're as light as a feather, now can you please wait until I reach the bottom?"

"Fine" she said pouting.

I quickly descended the small ladder but when I reached the bottom I received a warning from my former self; _"If you run he will catch her. Shift."_

I looked up at Susannah's worried face and held my hand out for her. She sent me a puzzled look, but took my hand and climbed down the ladder. When she reached the bottom I scooped her up and mouthed "Trust me."

I closed my eyes and thought; _'Guest room. Pale blue and white. Susannah's bag on the bed.'_

And when I opened my eyes, we were there. I glanced over at Susannah and saw that her eyes were still closed. Her breathing was rhythmic, and her head was resting completely against my shoulder. I smiled to myself and gently laid her down on the bed, careful not to disturb her.

Slowly I removed her high heels and placed them on the floor. _'What now? I can't undress her. Well, I could…but only to change her. I can't look. What if I accidentally touch her? What if she wakes up and finds me changing her? Would she scream and slap me, and then refuse to see me ever again? I couldn't bear that.'_

I whispered in her ear "Querida, I'm going to change you, okay? Can you tell me where your pajamas are?"

Her eyes fluttered slightly and she mumbled "umm hmm…bag; black ones."

I gulped as I neared her over night bag and then carefully unzipped it. Inside were jeans, a pink shirt with Minnie Mouse that said 'Bonita' on it, some pink heels, a hair brush, a tooth brush, tooth paste, moisturizer, body lotion, some under garments I pretended not to see, and definitely avoided touching, and finally a pair of pajamas. They were black and lacey.

Again I gulped and unfolded them. It was a tank top and a pair of shorts. They had Jack and Sally from a "Nightmare Before Christmas" all over the shorts, and on the tank top was one image of them together.

As I lifted the shorts out of the bag I saw something shiny at the bottom of the bag. I hesitated, but the curiosity was killing me so I reached in and retrieved the object. It was a CD; a mixed CD. And it was labeled "Jesse", in Susannah's whirly handwriting. Nothing was written on the back, and I wondered what could possibly be on the CD.

Suddenly I was startled as Susannah turned onto her side. I carefully put the CD back inside her bag and zippered it up.

"Querida, if you're too tired to change yourself, I'll do it, just promise you won't get upset or embarrassed" I pleaded.

"Hmm…Jesse?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and trying to get up.

"Susannah I need you to wake up, just for a little while okay."

"Why?" she whined, squinting her eyes.

"You have to change into your pajamas, and wash your face, and brush your teeth" I explained.

"Hmm…alright" she muttered attempting to get up, but not doing to well. I rushed to her side and helped her into the bathroom, carefully.

"Okay, can you handle getting ready for bed by yourself?" I asked, amused.

"Uh huh" she nodded, her eyes looking only semi-drowsy.

"Good, buenas noches querida. I'll see you in the morning" I said before giving her a brief peck on the cheek.

"Wait! Could you…stay with me a while?" she questioned, her cheeks flushing.

"Susannah, I would love to, but if someone were to walk in and see us both in here, they'd kill us."

"Not, all night. Just, until I fall asleep…please" she begged, smiling brightly and using the most adorable puppy dog eyes ever._ 'How could I ever say 'no' to her?' _

"Just until you fall asleep" I relented, "but first I'm going to go get ready for bed. I'll be right back."

"Umm, Jesse…" Susannah called after me.

"Yes?"

"You'd better dematerialize to your room, cause if someone should see you leaving at this time of night, it might raise a few eyebrows, not to mention get both of us in trouble" she warned.

"Good idea. I'll be back" I said, making Susannah laugh at my pretty sad imitation of the Terminator.

When I materialized in my room I quickly darted into my bathroom to prepare for bed. Never before had the idea of going to sleep excited me this much. I knew I would only be staying with Susannah until she fell asleep, but when she slept she looked so peaceful and…angelic even.

After I'd washed up I threw off my shirt and pants, and searched for some clean boxers and an undershirt. _'Should I only wear my boxers, or should I throw on a pair of pajama bottoms? It's kind of hot tonight, but being that close to Susannah in only my boxers isn't the safest thing.'_

So I pulled on some pajama bottoms and then grabbed a CD from my CD tower.

I rematerialized in the guest room and noticed that Susannah was still in the bathroom, _'perfect.'_

The alarm on the nightstand next to the bed could wake you up with a CD so I popped in the CD and set it to the song number and the right time. Just as I was finishing I heard the bath room door open and light foot steps on the carpet behind me.

"Jesse, what are you doing?" Susannah asked.

I turned to face her and noticed how beautiful she looked. Her cheeks were slightly rosy and her lips a deep pink shade. "Querida" I cooed, "you look stunning."

"That's what happens when I take off the make up" she said jokingly.

"No, I mean it in a good way. If it's possible, I think you look even more beautiful right now."

She smiled at me and lightly pecked my lips. Her breath smelled of mint with a tinge of orange, and as she pulled away the smell intoxicated me. I wanted nothing more than to hold her and kiss her again, but I restrained myself.

"Okay, bedtime" I said, lifting the covers for Susannah to get under.

"Already?" she whined, pouting her lips and fluttering her eyelashes.

"Yes" I chuckled.

"Humph, fine…but remember you said you'd stay-"

"Until you fall asleep" I finished for her.

She smiled and hopped onto the bed. I pulled the covers over her and tucked her in gently. She patted the space beside her on the bed and I went around the bed and sat down.

"Hey Jesse…" Susannah said, her hand finding mine and holding it loosely.

"Yes querida?"

"Do you really think Paul created this whole alternate universe? I mean, I know the guy is powerful and all, but really, a WHOLE other universe" she asked.

I cringed at the mention of even his name, but thought about the question as I laid down beside Susannah.

"Querida, with Slater you can never truly know…Now, can we please not mention him again, I've had enough of him today to last me more than a lifetime" I answered.

She giggled, and turned onto her side. I could see her watching me from the corner of my eye, and smiled. Suddenly I realized I was really hot. Not like physically, but temperature wise. _'These pajama bottoms were a bad idea, especially since they're flannel.' _

"Jesse, are you okay?" Susannah asked, sitting up; concern filling her eyes.

"I'm fine, just a little warm" I lied.

"No you're not" she said placing her hand on my forehead. "Urgh!" she exclaimed when she noticed how sweaty I was. "Jesse, umm…hmm, uncomfortable question, but, are you wearing something under those?" she questioned, pointing down to my pajama bottoms.

"Susannah" I squeaked, my cheeks feeling even warmer.

"Well, are you?" she repeated.

I opened my mouth but no words would come out, so I nodded my head in response.

"Take them off. You're making me hot just looking at you" she said, and then blushed at hearing her own words.

I laughed, but didn't move. I couldn't. I was boiling up, and it felt like the hotter I got, the weaker I got. My eyelids starting getting heavy, even though I warned them to stay open.

"Jesse…alright, you asked for it" she sighed, heaving the covers off of her and kneeling next to me. She grabbed the waist band of the pajama bottoms and tugged them down, then threw them to the floor and sat back with a pleased look on her face.

"Still hot?" she asked, feeling my forehead. It was still sweaty, but I had cooled down a little. "Jesse, sit up" she instructed me. I did, but after it felt like I had just done about a hundred push ups.

"Arms up, please." I lifted up my arms, and after she was done, fell back down onto the bed with a plop. Even that tired me out more. But after Susannah had removed my under shirt I felt better. I was sweating anymore, and I felt cooler, but my eyelids shut and refused to open. My mind drifted off, and Susannah filled my dreams.

>&&&

"Wake up

My love

Never thought you'd make me, break me

Now I'm up, from below

Such a brilliant star you are

And will your love keep burning baby

Burn harder through my eyes;

You saw the short times feel like no time

I thought you'd oughta know

I'm so far gone now

I've been running on empty

I'm so far gone now

Do you wanna take me on?

Do you wanna take me on?"

:smack:

'_What the hell?'_

I opened my eyes and realized I wasn't in my room. I looked to my side and saw Susannah stretching. She sleepily dragged herself into the bathroom, but turned to look back. When she saw me her eyes widened and she quickly looked down at herself. She looked a little relieved when she noticed she was wearing her pajamas, but still worried about me being here.

"Did you sleep there all night?" she asked.

"It would appear so" I said stifling a yawn.

"Your dad is going to kill us" she said, biting her bottom lip.

"No he won't, he probably thinks I'm in my room right now" I replied.

But we both froze when Mapi yelled "Marta have you seen Jesse? He's not in his room."

And then Marta yelled back "Check the guest room, maybe he's waking up Suze."

The sound of light, little footsteps echoed through the hall, and into the guest room. Susannah looked panicked, and her eyes widened again when there was a knock at the door. About a second later Mapi appeared in the doorway.

"Suze, have you seen-oh."

>&&&

Song lyrics to "Lunacy Fringe" by The Used.

Hope you enjoyed.

Now go review!

Love you guys!

-Lauren


	15. Chapter 15

Last time on "The New Girl":

"Did you sleep there all night?" she asked.

"It would appear so" I said stifling a yawn.

"Your dad is going to kill us" she said, biting her bottom lip.

"No he won't, he probably thinks I'm in my room right now" I replied.

But we both froze when Mapi yelled "Marta have you seen Jesse? He's not in his room."

And then Marta yelled back "Check the guest room, maybe he's waking up Suze."

The sound of light, little footsteps echoed through the hall, and into the guest room. Susannah looked panicked, and her eyes widened again when there was a knock at the door. About a second later Mapi appeared in the doorway.

"Suze, have you seen-oh."

&&&

And now, the much waited p 15th chapter. I know, you're all very excited.

Enjoy, sorry it took so long to update, but blame school and the torture it never fails to provide.

-Lauren

:Chapter 15:

'_Shift De Silva, shift! It doesn't matter where, just shift.'_

Suddenly I felt cold underneath me. Muffled voices reached my ears, and I could tell they belonged to two of the most important girls in my life.

The voices stopped and a doorknob turned, opening a door near me. I couldn't decide if keeping my eyes closed or opening them was the best option.

:Gasp:

'_Uh oh.'_

"Jesse…?" Susannah asked cautiously. I slowly opened my eyes and realized I was sitting in the bathtub of the guest bathroom. I poked my head out from behind the shower curtain and replied "Buenas días querida."

"You nearly gave me a heart attack! I mean I almost screamed, and if I would have done that you know your family would come run…wait, what are you doing in there?" she rambled on.

"I…I was waiting for you" I said smiling. Susannah cocked her eyebrow and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Really?" she questioned, the corners of her mouth twitching up into a semi-smile.

"Yes, really. I didn't get a chance to give you a proper morning greeting" I answered, pushing back the shower curtain.

"And what, does a 'proper morning greeting' entail?" she asked, kneeling down beside the bathtub, and resting her chin on her arms folded on the edge of the tub.

"Let me show you" I replied, meeting her lips with my own.

I swear I only meant for it to be a brief peck, but something came over me, and the next thing I knew Susannah was lying on top of me in the bath tub. I must admit the bath tub of your guest bathroom is not the most ideal place to make out, but when you're a hormonal teenage boy with your incredibly sexy girlfriend on top of you it really doesn't matter.

It wasn't until I heard Susannah let out a moan that I realized where my hand had gone. Somehow it had traveled up, underneath her pajama top, and was gently caressing one of her breasts. _'I must have been like a saint or… the pope in a past life.' _

"Susannah" I mumbled as she tickled my neck with soft kisses.

"Jesse" she replied, her gaze meeting my own. She smiled up at me, and gave me a brief peck before climbing off of me and getting about half way out of the bathtub.

"And where do you think you're going, querida?" I asked, pulling her back towards me.

"To get ready for school" she answered smirking.

"We can do that later" I said, pulling her into my lap. She smiled and gave me another peck, her hand resting on my chest, right over my heart, which was racing.

"Jesse, we're already late to our meeting with Father D. we should have been ready like thirty minutes ago. He's going to kill us."

"No he won't, he'll lecture us on being on time and keeping appointments, but he won't be too upset" I corrected sweetly.

"Yes, but do we really want another lecture? I mean you know we're gonna get one for not listening to him and kissing" she said.

"I guess you're right" I relented, "we should get going soon. How long 'til you're ready?"

"Give me like twenty minutes, I just have to shower and get dressed."

"Okay, me too" I said, helping Susannah up, and then climbing out of the bathtub.

She gave me a brief peck before shooing me out so she could shower. I dematerialized to my own bathroom, and hurriedly showered.

I had just wrapped a towel around my waist when I could have sworn I heard Susannah call me. Her voice didn't sound urgent or anything, but I was curious as to why she might call me while she was getting ready. So I rematerialized into the guest room, only to find it empty. I could hear the shower running in the bathroom, and I took a deep breath as I walked towards to door. Just as I knocked on the door, the water was turned off. I knocked again, and heard movement, but Susannah didn't open the door.

'_Querida, are you alright in there?'_

The door opened and there stood Susannah with nothing but a towel on. Water dripped from her hair, and I swallowed hard.

"Jesse, are you okay?" she asked coming towards me.

I tried to step back, but it felt like I was glued to that spot on the floor. I found keeping my eyes on Susannah's face equally challenging, but managed.

"You can't be hot again" she sighed, putting her to my forehead.

Silently I prayed her towel would fall, but then felt ashamed, and prayed it stay where it was. I don't think I could handle seeing Susannah like that, I might do something very ungentlemanly.

She moved her hand to feel my cheek, and paused a few seconds. She was pulling her hand away, when I gently kissed her palm. She smiled a shy smile at me and again when I moved up her arm, to her wrist. Slowly I trailed light kisses up her arm, and then her shoulder, and neck. When I reached her chin I pulled away and looked into her eyes.

'_Green and radiant, like two sparkling emeralds.'_

"Don't stop" she mumbled, a smile playing on her lips.

"We're already running late querida" I replied.

"I don't care" she said bringing her lips up to meet my own.

As the kiss deepened, Susannah brought her arms around my neck, and ran her fingers through my hair. It was then I noticed how close we were. Her chest was pressed against mine, and all that separated our skin was her small towel, wrapped delicately around her. My hands were resting loosely on her hips, and I begged for the willpower to stop this before things got out of hand.

"…querida…we have to get to…school…" I panted when I could unglue my lips from Susannah's.

"But…can't we…keep do-…ing this" she panted back.

"N-yes…I mean,…no" I said as she kissed down my neck, tickling my skin.

"Okay…then I'll just get dressed" she replied, after catching her breath. I was caught off guard and when she pulled away I suddenly was very cold. Air rushed to all the places Susannah's body had just been against me, and I realized I was only wearing a towel around my waist.

"Yes, good idea, I'm going t-" I froze mid-sentence. I had just looked over to where Susannah was and saw…well, Susannah. Only she was…undressed.

I commanded my eyes to look away, but they weren't listening. All I could do was stand there and stare at Susannah as she pulled on a lacey pair of boy shorts.

The next few minutes are kind of a haze in my head, but I remember what I saw. Down to every detail, even.

Somehow I managed to get back to my room and dressed. I even brought out my lucky jeans, because I figured if they were lucky before, I might as well add to the magic. Susannah came into my room as I was pulling on my under shirt, and handed me my t-shirt.

She looked stunning in her hip-hugging jeans, pale pink Minnie Mouse t-shirt, and matching pink heels.

"Ready?" she asked, giving me a once over.

"Almost" I replied as I walked to her and gave her a brief kiss. "Now I'm ready."

"Yeah…me too" she replied dazedly.

We grabbed each other's hand and made our way downstairs.

As we were about to yell good-bye and leave, someone trudged over to us and heaved "finally. You-…and Suze?"

"Adam, what are you doing here?" I questioned, completely shocked.

"Dude I told you I needed a ride to school today, like a week ago. Suze, what are you doing here?" Adam replied, grabbing his backpack and opening the front door.

"I…I…" Susannah stammered.

"We'll explain on the way" I said taking Susannah's bags. She gave me 'I can carry my own stuff' look, but didn't verbally complain.

We were silent as we put our stuff in the trunk, and got in. The first noise anyone made was Susannah when she thanked me for opening her door, and then AAR playing from the speakers.

"So, are you guys planning on telling me what's going on, or do I get to keep ignoring the uncomfortable silence?" Adam asked about two blocks later.

Susannah looked over at me, hesitation in her eyes. I gave her a reassuring smile and then answered, "Susannah stayed the night at my house."

"Oh…ooohhh" he said, and then winked at Susannah and I.

"Adam, nothing happened. Paul Slater attacked Susannah yesterday, and I didn't want her to have to stay home alone, so I invited her to use my guestroom."

"Oh…that's it?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

I sent him an 'I'll tell you later' glance, and he didn't ask anymore questions. Susannah placed her hand on my arm, and smiled brightly at me. _"I love you" she mentally chimed._

"_I love you too, querida."_

"Are you two doing that weird psychic talking thing?" Adam questioned.

"What psychic talking thing?" I asked, alarmed that he might know about me and Susannah's gift.

"That mind-to-mind talking thing. CeeCee told me about it last night" he calmly stated.

Susannah moved her hand away, and I noticed she was shrinking down into her seat.

"Uhh, actually Adam, I told CeeCee it was like we could, not that we can. I mean, can you imagine if we actually could?" Susannah responded, not looking at me the whole time.

"_You told CeeCee?" I asked._

"_I…I…yeah. I was just so happy, and I couldn't stand not being able to tell her everything, so I just kind of let that slip, I guess" she answered sounding truly sorry._

"_Querida, I'm not angry with you, I just wish you had told me so I could collaborate my story."_

"_So…you're not mad?" she asked, turning to look at me._

"_I could never stay mad at you, even if I was" I replied, smiling._

"Thank God we're here, you two are too…too…I don't know, but you're too much of it. Pop the trunk" Adam said getting out of the car once we'd reached the mission. He took off towards his locker as Susannah and I rushed to get to Father Dominic's office.

"You're late" he grumbled when we finally got to his office.

"Sorry" we both said.

"It's all my fault, really. I forgot I needed a ride to school, and when I called Jesse, he was already on his way here" Susannah quickly added.

"_Querida, I don't think lying to a priest is necessary here."_

"_What would we have told him otherwise; that I stayed over at your house and things got a little hot 'n' heavy this morning?" Susannah retorted, sending me a victorious smile._

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" Father Dominic asked sternly.

"No" we both squeaked.

"Good. Let's get started."

&&&

"So, let me see if I have this right; we have to bring the other Paul, the one that sent us here in the first place, back here. And then we have to find an angelic being with an emerald gaze, and unite the being with a powerful, precious stone-" Susannah said.

"You have to unite them with true love" Father Dominic interrupted her.

"Oh, right, and after all that we have to use the power that the being and the stone will create to destroy Paul, once and for all. Right?" Susannah asked, summarizing almost 4 hours of information.

"Well, not exactly, but you have the main idea" Father Dominic answered.

"And by when do we have to find and unite the angel and the stone?" I questioned.

"Well, by the next full moon" Father Dominic said, looking nervous.

"And when's that?" Susannah asked sounding worried.

"According to my calendar…Saturday" he responded.

"This Saturday!" Susannah yelped.

"Yes, I'm afraid so" Father Dominic said, looking equally troubled.

&&&

"Well, what do we do now?" Susannah asked later as we walked to my car.

"We have to get you back to my house, find something my dad is hiding for me, and then unite you with it" I responded.

"Me? Why me?" Susannah asked, completely shocked.

"Because querida, you're the 'angelic being with an emerald gaze" I responded as we reached my car.

"Jesse, I am no angelic being, and my gaze is so not emerald, its murky green" she corrected.

"Susannah, ever since I first had the dreams about you, one phrase has been constantly floating around in my mind" I informed her, while opening her door.

She climbed in, and waited for me to get in before saying "And what phrase is that?"

"Green and radiant, like two sparkling emeralds. When I first met you, I knew you by your eyes, and when Father Dominic said 'angelic being with an emerald gaze', I knew he was talking about you" I answered.

"So, if I am the angelic being, then what's the powerful, precious stone?" she asked.

"My grandmother's engagement ring."


	16. Chapter 16

Last time on The New Girl:

"Well, what do we do now?" Susannah asked later as we walked to my car.

"We have to get you back to my house, find something my dad is hiding for me, and then unite you with it" I responded.

"Me? Why me?" Susannah asked, completely shocked.

"Because querida, you're the 'angelic being with an emerald gaze" I responded as we reached my car.

"Jesse, I am no angelic being, and my gaze is so not emerald, its murky green" she corrected.

"Susannah, ever since I first had the dreams about you, one phrase has been constantly floating around in my mind" I informed her, while opening her door.

She climbed in, and waited for me to get in before saying "And what phrase is that?"

"Green and radiant, like two sparkling emeralds. When I first met you, I knew you by your eyes, and when Father Dominic said 'angelic being with an emerald gaze', I knew he was talking about you" I answered.

"So, if I am the angelic being, then what's the powerful, precious stone?" she asked.

"My grandmother's engagement ring."

And now…

:Chapter 16:

"But…but…me…ring…no…I…I…no…Jesse…I can't…" Susannah prattled nervously.

"Querida, trust me. I know this all seems very strange, but I have a good feeling about this. It's the bringing back Slater that's making me anxious" I told her, gently stroking her hand.

"But…Jesse, this doesn't feel right. I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, like something terrible is about to happen. What if I'm not the angelic being and I end up sucking the good power out of your grandmother's ring?" she babbled.

"Susannah" I calmly said, parking the car on the side of a street, "you are the angelic being, of that I'm positive. Why are you so afraid?"

"I am not afraid, just nervous. And I'm telling you I have a bad feeling about this, Jesse."

"Okay, well…right now we'll just get the ring and then concentrate on bringing back Slater. We'll worry about uniting you with the ring later" I said trying to calm her.

She sent me a weak smile and nodded her head, but her eyes glistened as if tears would pour from them at any second.

"Querida, would you like to get something to eat first?" I asked

&&&

"I'll have the Cali BLT" Susannah said smiling pleasantly at Ken, our waiter. He looked like a Ken too. His beach blonde hair had that sun dried 'I just got back from catching some killer waves' look. And then his eyes; they were blue, but almost identical to the color of the ocean. But the color of his eyes wasn't bothering me, it was the direction of his blue gaze that made me want to punch the twinkle in his eyes out.

Susannah, who seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the real-life version of Barbie's gay ex-husband was staring at her chest, turned back to me and smiled brightly. Under our table she gently rubbed her leg against my own, almost trying to calm me.

I cleared my throat to draw Ken's attention away from Susannah's bosom, and he snapped his eyes up to the little writing pad on which he scribbled her order.

"Make that two Cali BLTs" I grumbled.

"Yeah, sure. I'll bring your order right out" Ken replied smiling at Susannah before walking away.

"Jesse, you alright?" Susannah questioned.

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"Doesn't what bother me?" she asked.

"Guys staring at your…you" I answered, feeling my cheeks warm.

"Not really, it's a real self-confidence booster. But…I only care about you staring at me" she purred.

"And why would you need to have your self-confidence boosted?" I inquired.

"I don't **need** to have it boosted, it just makes me feel even better about myself. Like when you start mumbling in Spanish when we're making out and you think I have no clue what you're saying" she replied mischievously.

"But…but you don't know Spanish" I sputtered.

"Not every word, but I told you my tía Sophia taught me some words and phrases she thought I should know" she explained smiling proudly.

"Nombre de Dios" I sighed.

Susannah giggled and placed her hand over mine comfortingly. "Jesse, I only catch about a fifth of what you say, and I find everything I understand very flattering."

"But what I say…it's not proper" I mumbled.

"Sure it's not proper, but it's not like you can really control it. Besides, if you didn't say those things you wouldn't be…well, you" Susannah defended.

I smiled slightly at her and cooed, "How did I get so lucky as to have a wonderful girlfriend like you?"

"You must have been really good in another life" she teased.

We both smiled and continued talking. After a few more minutes Susannah got up and sat down next to me in our little booth.

"You're supposed to stay on that side so I can stare at you" I joked as Susannah pulled my arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, but on this side you can kiss me" she replied inching her lips up to mine.

"I see your point" I breathed as our lips touched gently.

We kept the kiss short and sweet, only because we were in public and because I'm not a big fan of PDA; although Susannah is changing my mind about it when it comes to certain aspects.

Ken coughed loudly before setting our plates in front of us and then rushing away. We saw a group of waiters poke their heads around the corner leading to the kitchen, and then they all laughed and chanted "Dude, I so told you she was taken!"

I sent Susannah an annoyed look, but she just smiled and pecked my cheek. "They must be talking about someone else."

"Querida, I think I can tell when a guy is checking out a girl. And all those guys were looking right at you" I murmured through clenched teeth.

"Jesse, it doesn't matter. I'm here with you aren't I?" she said resting her head against my shoulder. I smiled and tightened my one arm hug around her before kissing her hair.

"I know, I'm just being stupid, but…"

"You don't want other guys looking at your girlfriend the same way you look at her. I know it's the same way when it comes to girls. I used to hate it when other girls would check out…never mind" she squeaked.

"Check out whom?" I asked cautiously.

"No one, I was…I was talking about my friend and her boyfriend. Yeah, she used to hate it when other girls would check him out" she choked out.

"Susannah, are you lying to me?"

"No…y-yes, can we just not talk it right now? Everything is so perfect, and I don't want to ruin it by bringing up certain people from my past" she pleaded.

"That's fine querida, just promise me we won't lie to each other" I relented, albeit reluctantly.

"Definitely; no lies" she chimed sending me a small smile.

"Good, now let's eat, I'm starved."

&&&

"I'm telling you, this is definitely a bad idea" Susannah whimpered as we pulled up the Paul Slater's house. Well, house isn't the right word it's more like a glass mansion. In the drive way his BMW was parked, indicating he was home.

"Susannah, why won't you tell me what you're planning?" I asked.

She turned away from me, but I knew she was crying. Every one of her tears felt like a stab at my heart.

"I-I can't Jesse…I'm sorry…promise me…you won't hate me…" she sobbed out, turning to face me.

"Hate you? Querida, I could never hate you. Why would you even-"

"Just promise me" she snapped, tears still gliding down her cheeks.

"I…I promise. Querida, what's wrong, why won't you tell me?" I questioned urgency in my voice.

"Just go, Jesse…go. Keep talking to me, mentally. Even if I don't respond, just hearing you will help. I'll try and stop things at a certain point, but if things get out of hand, I want you to use the mind control I taught you. Use it on me, and get me out of there. Get me to you. Don't…don't pay attention to anything I say…okay?" she coughed out in between sobs.

"Susannah, why would I need to use mind control? What aren't you telling me?" I demanded hotly. The terror in her eyes was scaring me. I had never seen her like this; she looked…vulnerable.

"I'm sorry…just remember what I told you…now go!" she blurted climbing out of the car. I watched feeling like I'd been punched in the stomach as Susannah scurried up the path to the front door. She wiped her eyes, and pressed the door bell. A few seconds later Slater himself appeared in the doorway. He looked shocked to see Susannah, but grabbed her hand and led her inside. He was about to close the door when he noticed me. He pulled Susannah against his chest and kissed her forcefully, before dragging her out of my view and slamming the door behind him.

My chest ached and my blood was boiling. _'I can't let this happen. I can't let him hurt her.'_

"_Oh I won't hurt her De Silva; I'll take real good care of her. In fact I think a nice roll in the sack would do her wonders. Something you've apparently been unable to do" Slater's voice rang in my head, bringing on a headache. _

'_If you so much as touch one hair on her head, I'll make you regret the day you were cast up from Hell, onto the Earth' I spat back._

_His evil cackle chimed in my head, "Oh, it's not just her hair I'm after ghost boy; it's her entire body and soul. After a few hours, she'll be all mine once and for all." _

&&&

I don't know how long I sat outside Slater's house trying to calculate some sort of plan, but before I knew it stars were twinkling in the sky and the moonlight cast shadows all around me.

"She's actually okay, you know" Susannah said appearing next to me. Only this wasn't the Susannah I knew. This Susannah had an almost ghostly glow to her, and she looked older, wiser.

"Querida…are you…dead?" I asked nervously. I could feel tears forming in my eyes, but I would not let myself cry in front of Susannah.

"Actually I'm not you're querida. Well, at least not this you's querida. I managed to find a little loop hole in Paul's scheme, and so here I am, well my spirit anyway. Think of me as your personal Paul Slater ass-kicker/your querida protector. I have to make sure this me stays alive and well, and away from Paul Slater. But that is going to be a problem seeing as how she's in there with him, when she's supposed to be with you" Susannah advised me. Well, not my Susannah.

"You can call me Mrs. De Silva, if you want; only my Jesse is allowed to call me querida" she said smiling.

"How did you know…?" I questioned.

"I figured that's why you were so quiet, Jesse never stops asking questions unless he's thinking, confused, or angry with me" she replied.

"So, Mrs. De Silva, how am I supposed to help Susannah?"

"First of all you need to get her out of there. She was smart to let you know about the mind control, I told her you'd figure it out, but I can see eventually wouldn't have been for a while longer" she said smiling at me as if I was a small child.

"But, don't I have to be touching her, or have something of her's?" I asked.

"Jesse, you and Suze have the spiritual connection that Jesse and I have, but with loads more strength. That's all you need. Now get her out of there, and remember what she told you" Mrs. De Silva instructed me.

"And after that…won't she still be under Slater's control?"

"That's the part where I'm gonna leave for a little while and give you two some alone time" she answered.

"Alone time, why would we need- oh, alone time. And that's it, that's all I have to do?" I questioned.

"Yep, then unite her with the ring. If you don't do it within 12 hours of her being under Slater's control, then she'll automatically be under his power again. Only when that happens, it'll take more than a kiss to snap her out of it, understand?" she asked.

"Yes. So will you stick around until Slater is gone, or just after Susannah is united with the ring?" I questioned.

"I'm staying until everything is done and over with. But be prepared to make a life altering decision at the end of all this. Now get your girlfriend out here and kiss her already" she explained, before shimmering away.

'_Don't worry querida; you'll be with me soon.'_


	17. Chapter 17

Previously on The New Girl-

"I'm sorry…just remember what I told you…now go!" she blurted climbing out of the car. I watched feeling like I'd been punched in the stomach as Susannah scurried up the path to the front door. She wiped her eyes, and pressed the door bell. A few seconds later Slater himself appeared in the doorway. He looked shocked to see Susannah, but grabbed her hand and led her inside. He was about to close the door when he noticed me. He pulled Susannah against his chest and kissed her forcefully, before dragging her out of my view and slamming the door behind him.

My chest ached and my blood was boiling. _'I can't let this happen. I can't let him hurt her.'_

"_Oh I won't hurt her De Silva; I'll take real good care of her. In fact I think a nice roll in the sack would do her wonders. Something you've apparently been unable to do" Slater's voice rang in my head, bringing on a headache. _

'_If you so much as touch one hair on her head, I'll make you regret the day you were cast up from Hell, onto the Earth' I spat back._

_His evil cackle chimed in my head, "Oh, it's not just her hair I'm after ghost boy; it's her entire __body and soul__. After a few hours, she'll be all mine once and for all."_

&

"Yes. So will you stick around until Slater is gone, or just after Susannah is united with the ring?" I questioned.

"I'm staying until everything is done and over with. But be prepared to make a life altering decision at the end of all this. Now get your girlfriend out here and kiss her already" she explained, before shimmering away.

'_Don't worry querida; you'll be with me soon.'_

:Chapter 17:

She didn't fight against the mind control; Susannah that is. No she followed each command I gave her. I felt horrible telling her what to do, but I knew this was the only way to get Susannah out of there, and away from Slater.

Slater himself was the problem. When Susannah strolled down the pathway, towards my waiting car, and ignored Paul completely, just as I had instructed her, Slater went crazy. He yelled at Susannah, grabbed her arm, and even stopped in front of her, trying anything to make her stop. But that's the thing about mind control, when you're told to do something, you **have** to do it. So Susannah acted as if Slater wasn't even there. When she reached my car, she calmly stepped in, and shut the door behind her. I quickly locked the doors and sped away. We had to get away from Slater, we had to go somewhere he would never think of looking.

&&&

As we reached my cousin's apartment complex I could see the mind control wearing off of Susannah. Her eyes which had looked hollow and reflective, were now starting to sparkle again.

"Querida, are you okay now?" I asked cautiously.

She blinked a few times before looking around her anxiously. "What am I doing with **you**?" she hissed. "Did you drug me! Paul is going to murder you. You better let me out right this second or I swear I scream."

"Drug you…scream? Why would you want to scream? Querida are you feeling alright?" I questioned.

"Ka-what? Listen de Silva, if you just pull over and let me go, I swear I won't tell Paul. Just let me go" she replied.

"de Silva! Susannah, what are you talk- oh, you're still under Slater's control. Nombre de Dios, I can't believe I forgot" I half mumbled, half blurted as we pulled into my cousin's parking space. Luckily he was studying abroad for a semester, so he let me go to his apartment whenever I wanted, as long as I was doing something my parents wouldn't approve of, he had joked.

"Slater's control'?" she repeated, as a more of a question.

"This isn't going to make much sense to you, because of what happened earlier, but once you're back to normal, everything will be fine, I promise" I reassured her.

"What happened earlier?" she asked.

"Slater put you under his control by kissing you" I answered uncomfortably.

Susannah in turn laughed. Not giggled or chuckled, but laughed, big hearty laughs. "Paul put me under his control, by kissing me?" she asked between laughs.

"Yes, why else would you be acting this way right now?" I replied.

"Listen, de Silva, this has been fun and all, but you better let me go. My boyfriend will kick your ass if he finds out about this" she said calming down from her laughter.

"Your boyfriend? YOUR BOYFRIEND! Your boyfriend is sitting next to you, wondering what Slater could possibly have done to you, to make you like this" I snapped.

"Whoa, down boy. Listen, you obviously have some kind of mental illness that has you obsessing over me, but Paul is my boyfriend. Paul Slater. And he's gonna kill you if you don't let me go right now" she warned.

I couldn't believe this. This was not my Susannah; my querida. I had to get her back, and get this crazy girl out of here, for good.

"Are you listening to me? Let me out, now!" she demanded.

"I'm sorry to do this against your will, but this isn't you, Susannah, and I need my querida back" I said before quickly pressing my lips against her's. She squirmed at first, digging her nails into my skin, trying desperately to get away from me, but then she stopped.

For a few moments she was completely motionless, but after a few more seconds her lips welcomed my own, and her arms snaked around my neck.

I pulled away when I felt wetness on my cheek and saw that Susannah was sobbing quietly. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. "I'm s-so s-s-sorry" she sniffled in between sobs.

I brushed away some hair that had fallen over her face and gazed at Susannah. Although she was crying, I could see that her eyes were finally back to their usual vibrant, sparkling selves. I let out a sigh of relief and gently pulled Susannah into my lap. I went to wrap my arms around her when she moved back to the passenger seat.

I stared at her in confusion, before asking "Querida that is you, right?"

She cried even harder, burying her face in her hands.

"Querida, what's wrong? Are you alright? Did Slater hurt you?" I rambled on nervously.

She lifted her tear-stained face from her hands and nodded slightly, wiping away some of her tears. More quickly fell from her eyes, but she swatted those away as well. "Do you hate me?" she asked quietly, almost afraid of hearing what I might respond with.

"Susannah, I could never hate you; no matter what" I answered, giving her a reassuring smile.

"But …I let him…I let him…" she trailed off, wiping each tear that fell.

"Susannah, you did it to help us beat Slater at his own game. But, just out of curiosity, what exactly did you let him do?" I asked, my heart racing, praying this wouldn't hurt anymore than it already did.

"I…I don't know," she sobbed "the last thing I remember is him pulling me into his house and kissing me. And then, I was here, kissing you."

"Susannah, are you positive you don't remember anything in between?"

"Jesse, I'd know if things went **that** far" she said.

"And you're sure you would know? Because if he even tried…I swear I'll go after that hijo de puta right now" I replied.

"Well, yeah I'm sure, I mean I've never…you know…before and from what I hear I'd be able to tell" she confessed.

"Querida, I've never…either; I was kind of thinking that we would…well, not now, but…eventually" I babbled.

"Why not?" she asked, her eyes locking on my own. I noticed she wasn't crying anymore, and that she had released her knees. Now she sat Indian style, facing me.

"Why not, what?" I questioned.

"Why eventually and not now?"

I blinked, completely shocked, and unable to respond.

"Jesse, I know we're young and haven't even been going out for a whole week, but when I'm with you…it feels right. You know?" she added.

"Querida, I know the feeling, but there are so many reasons why we shouldn't" I replied.

"And there are so many more reasons why we should" she countered.

"So you think we should just rush up to my cousin's apartment, and…make love?" I asked.

"Your cousin isn't there though, right?"

"No, he's studying aboard for a semester, he gave me his spare key and told me I could come over whenever I wanted" I explained.

"Then yes, I think we should rush up to your cousin's apartment and make love" Susannah answered, her voice changing into a sultry, low whisper.

I leaned over the gear shift and quickly kissed Susannah before jumping out of the car, running to open the passenger side door, and then helping her out, and tugging her along after me. She giggled and then whined, "Jesse, I can't run in these shoes."

Not wanting to waste any precious time, I picked up Susannah and carried her as I ran up the stairs two at a time. When we reached apartment #489 I anxiously grabbed the key from behind the wall sconce and hurriedly opened the door. Susannah tickled my neck with light kisses as I shut the door behind us, and started toward the bedroom.

"Jesse, you do have condoms, right?" Susannah asked nervously.

"In the bathroom, I'll go get them" I said, setting Susannah down.

"Where's the bedroom?" she called after me.

"The first door on your right, by the kitchen" I yelled back, searching through the medicine cabinet.

"Found them" I cheered joyously as I ran to the bedroom.

"Whoa, hold on there buddy" Mrs. de Silva said appearing on one of the barstools.

"Uhh, can this wait, I'm kind of preoccupied at the moment" I said impatiently.

"Not really" she replied, "but this will be quick, I swear. I brought you the ring, but remember you need to unite her with it before 5 AM. Now, where's the fire? And what's in the box?"

"Oh, umm…I…Susannah…and I…umm…in there…and…right now…" I rambled incoherently.

Mrs. de Silva giggled and said, "I get it, don't worry I won't tell my husband. Oh, and FYI, a warm bath helps for afterward. But no bubbles or bath salts, and not too hot."

"For after?" I repeated.

"For after. Now go, and don't get the girl pregnant, I'm already there, and the morning sickness sucks" she warned, thrusting a small black, velvet ring box at me.

I took the box and squeaked "Yes, Ma'm."

"Good, I'll be back in the morning. Oh, and call Father D. and tell him you two are working on Paul; Suze won't be able to help much cause of the soreness, so it's best you two hide out here for a day or so" she said.

"Soreness? Am I going to hurt her?" I asked.

"Well, probably, I mean at least a little. But she's been pretty active, so she won't get the full blast of it" she replied, shimmering away.

I stood there for a moment replaying what had just happened, before I remember Susannah and sprinted to the bedroom.

&&&

When I reached the doorway I saw Susannah's jeans, heels, and pink t-shirt in a pile on the floor. I swallowed hard, but inched my way into the room, shutting the door behind me.

"Jesse?" Susannah called from the adjoining bathroom.

"Querida, w-what are you doing in there?" I asked, noticing my voice getting high pitched.

"I-I'll be right out" she answered.

Quickly I pulled off my t-shirt and kicked off my shoes, before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Nervously I rubbed my hands together; _'What is she doing in there?'_

"_I'll be right out" she mentally exclaimed._

I couldn't help but laugh at that. But then the bathroom door opened, and my laughter dried up. Susannah stood there, gazing me anxiously.

"Querida, you look…breathe taking" I cooed, rushing to her, and catching her lips with mine. I pulled back to get another look at her, and couldn't help but smile.

"Nervous?" she asked, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"If I were anymore nervous I think I'd have a heart attack" I answered without thinking.

She smiled a reassuring smile and replied, "Me too" before kissing me.


	18. Chapter 17 and a half

**WARNING!**

**This chapter is rated M, if you don't like reading things like this than skip ahead to the chapter. -Lauren**

**Chapter 17.5**

"Nervous?" Susannah asked, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"If I were anymore nervous I think I'd have a heart attack" I responded without thinking.

"Me too" she replied before lightly pressing her lips against my own.

At first things were soft, careful even, but after a while my hands explored the wonder that is Susannah's body. Her hands too decided to roam and her warm palms caressed my chest. Eventually our tongues broke free of our own mouths and went into each others'. As the kiss deepened, I could feel Susannah relaxing, and her body pressing into mine. Suddenly my under shirt was torn off me, and before I even realized it, I was pressing Susannah back against a wall. Cautiously her legs wrapped around my waist, and that's when I truly understood how something could be both beautiful and sinful; a way to bond, and a way to break free.

Words spewed out of my mouth, and I hardly even know what I was saying, but Susannah didn't seem to mind. She pressed herself closer to me, and that's when I carried her over to the bed. _'If we're going to do this, I want to do this right.'_

"_Everything about this is right, Jesse. Now stop thinking and focus….ooohhh!" she half blurted, half moaned as I trailed kisses down her neck, and then her chest. _

When I reached her lacey pink bra I looked to Susannah for permission, in a sense, and she urged me on with her eyes. Carefully I unhooked it, and then slowly removed it. For a few seconds my eyes focused, and saw only Susannah's beauty. She was absolutely perfect. Every inch of her was calling out to me, wanting attention, but it was her lips that won out in the end. Brief, gentle kisses every now and then reminded us of how pure our love was, and how right we are for each other. There's no need to slobber all over each other when you know the other person as well as we know each other; mind, heart, body, and soul.

"Jesse" she panted, arousing me even more.

"Querida, I love you so much" I moaned back.

"I know. I love you too" she breathed.

Slowly her hands made there way from my chest to my stomach, and then finally resting on the waistband of my jeans. I could sense her nervousness, but I also knew that we were ready for this; Susannah was ready for this, and believe me, I was ready for this. Her fingers, shaking slightly, relieved me of my pants and then my boxers. _'This is it. Don't panic de Silva, she loves you and you know this is right.'_

_Susannah seemed somehow entranced with my naked form, and her mind ran wild, echoing through my own as well: "Oh my gosh! Okay Suze, don't panic everything is going to be fine. Oh my gosh he's huge! How is all that going to fit? Okay, remember what Gina told you: 'concentrate on the good, focus on something small, some pleasure. And most important, relax completely. Let him ease in and relax, don't panic!' Okay, breathe Suze, breathe. Jesse will not hurt you, Jesse loves you, you love Jesse. Breathe; in and out."_

"Querida, you need to top thinking so much; relax" I instructed her through ragged breathes.

"Sorry, I can't help it. It's just cause I'm nervous and all, I guess" she squeaked.

"Don't be, everything will be alright. Just remember that I love you" I reassured her, giving her a brief peck. She smiled gratefully and then reached over her head, grabbing the box of Trojans my cousin always has in his medicine cabinet. Carefully she removed one from the box and ripped open its packaging. It was when she slid the condom onto me that I noticed her hands had stopped shaking.

All that was in our way was Susannah's lacey, pink boy shorts. I gulped before gently tugging them down her legs and then tossing them onto the floor, along with all our other clothes.

Again I looked to Susannah for permission and she nodded gently, giving me a reassuring smile. Carefully I positioned myself, not wanting to mess up and look stupid. Then I slowly slid into her. She winced in pain and I started panicking. I started mumbling incoherently and began sliding back out of her.

"Querida, I'm sorry…I shouldn't have done it…Are you okay?…Ice; do you need ice?" I rambled.

"Jesse, stop. I'm fine, it's just a little uncomfortable. I can handle it, okay. Go back" she said pulling me down and back into her.

"I don't want to hurt you Susannah" I murmured, shifting my weight, so I wouldn't crush her.

"Jesse I knew this was gonna hurt at least a little, I'm fine, now would you stop trying to be all over protective" she replied.

"I'm not trying to be querida, but I can't purposefully hurt you."

"Wow…" she sputtered, her eyes looking glassy.

"Susannah, what's wrong?" I asked anxiously. _'Did I hurt her that badly? What if she's in a lot pain? How on earth am I supposed soothe her? What will even help that kind of pain?'_

"No, Jesse it's not that" she said, quickly blinking her eyelids and looking up, trying to keep tears from streaming down her face. "It's just…you're more concerned about hurting me, even a little, than with just getting laid."

"Querida, you and your well-being are more important to me than just about anything in the world. How could you even doubt that?" I questioned.

"You're just so different…I never thought I'd be this lucky" she said, still blinking away tears.

"Susannah, if anyone here is lucky it's me. I have to be the luckiest guy in the universe" I stated.

"How can you think that at a time like now?" she asked.

"Because I'm with you, and as long as we have each other everything will work itself out" I explained, gently caressing her cheek.

Suddenly her tears fell freely and Susannah buried her face in my neck. She wasn't sobbing or anything, yet I hated to see her cry.

"No llorars mi amor" I cooed.

"Jesse" she whispered lifting her face from my neck and staring into my eyes. Slowly I rolled us back onto the mattress so that Susannah was now on top, and wrapped my arms around her. She rested her head on my shoulder for a few seconds but then looked back up into my eyes. Her lips met mine in a loving, and passionate kiss. I couldn't help but reciprocate the action, and soon my body was in control of itself. I felt Susannah moving dangerously close to my private area, but I did nothing to stop her. Instead I let out a moan of pleasure, which seemed to spur her on. I tried to protest, but the only thing my mouth could do was trail kisses over Susannah's body.

She paused to moan a little herself when I reached her breasts, but after a few seconds she continued scooting herself further down my body. When I switched to experimentally licking her supple breasts, she reached my thighs. Susannah spread her legs open, right above me. All I had to do was lift myself up slightly or pull Susannah down onto me. I hesitated; even though my mind had stopped functioning a while ago, I was still a bit hesitant about inflicting any sort of pain upon Susannah. She noticed my hesitation and before I could even think of telling Susannah not to move, she eased onto me.

I shivered in delight, and a flood of bliss washed over me. The next thing I remember I was on top of Susannah, mumbling some **very** inappropriate things in Spanish, and thrusting in and out of her. She looked so helpless under me, but at the same time completely happy. Moans and screams even, flew out of Susannah's mouth. After a couple more minutes of this, I felt a huge wave of sheer ecstasy overcome me, and everything around me was a complete haze. I felt weightless, and Susannah shuddered under me. I kept my rhythm and a few moments later Susannah let out a scream of pure pleasure, then went limp as a rag doll. I went to roll onto my side, and off of Susannah but she wrapped her arms around my neck and sighed "Please, just stay in for a little longer, I don't want this to end yet."

I smiled down at her and gently kissed her forehead. "Alright, but just a little while, I don't think it's good for you to have me in you for too long."

"Jesse, there are people that go at it for hours at a time, I don't think a few more minutes will do any harm" she said, before yawning.

"And you would know about people going at for hours, how?" I asked curiously.

" I went to a private, all girls' school back in Brooklyn. You'd be surprised at how much we used discuss sexual techniques there" she sighed contentedly, a small smirk appearing on her lips.

"Really? You didn't tell me you went to an all girl's school."

"You didn't ask" she replied.

"What was it like?" I asked genuinely curious.

"It was horrible at first, but after a year there, it actually wasn't all that bad. I mean, I had friends there and the classes were fairly interesting. Plus we had an all boys, brother school a few miles away. Not that they were extreme hotties or anything, but some of them were decent enough" Susannah answered, her eyelids looking as if they were extremely heavy and difficult to keep open.

"So, did you have to wear a uniform?" I questioned cautiously.

Susannah in return chuckled and said "Yes.; dorky plaid skirts and polos. I don't know why guys always ask that. Is it cause of that whole naughty school girl fantasy, or what?"

I smirked, trying to hide my blush and explained "I wouldn't know, but it's just a bit difficult for me to picture you in one of those plaid skirts, with the matching polo, and knee highs."

"Well, just wait till you meet my mom, she'll whip out the school photos so you can see for yourself" she yawned, and patted my cheek playfully.

I rolled onto my side, carefully easing myself out of Susannah, and moved her head so that it was resting against my shoulder. She in turn snuggled closer to me as I wrapped my arms around her middle and pulled one of her arms across my chest. I turned my head and planted a light kiss on the top of her head and whispered "I love you querida."

I felt her smile against my skin and she replied "I love you too Jesse."

A few minutes later I felt Susannah's steady breathing and realized she had fallen asleep. I moved some stray locks of her silky chestnut hair from her face and gazed at her. _'I really am the luckiest guy on the face of the planet. I can't believe she chose me. I can't believe we just made love. This is what my future is going to be like. I'm going to get marry this beautiful woman and make love to her all the time. She is going to be the mother of my children. I get to make babies with mi querida. Our children will be so beautiful. I hope they get Susannah's eyes, and her soft hair. I just know that if they look anything like Susannah, they'll be gorgeous. And they'll be so loved. Susannah is going to be a great mother. I can't wait to start the rest of our lives. I can't wait until tomorrow; another day I get to spend with Susannah.'_

"_Jesse, go to sleep. All your thinking is keeping me up" Susannah huffed mentally._

"_I thought you were already asleep" I replied._

"_I was, but I woke up when I heard you thinking my name" she muttered._

"_I'm sorry, querida. Go back to sleep" I chimed._

"_Oh, and Jesse…"_

"_Yes Susannah?"_

"_Thank you for thinking of me like that. I love you" she purred._

"_No need to thank me querida, that's how I always think of you. And I love you too, now go to sleep" I said, curling the end of a lock of her hair around my finger. _

"_Okay" she yawned, "you should get some sleep to Jesse. I want to energizer tomorrow, not all tired and grumpy."_

"_Who said I was grumpy?"_

"_You get grumpy when you're really tired. Not like mean grumpy, you're just a little more defensive" she explained._

"_When was I grumpy?" I asked trying to remember the last time I hadn't slept well or stayed up really late._

"_You haven't been grumpy to me, but when I met CeeCee she called you to see if you wanted to go to the beach with us, and you were a little snappy on the phone" she mumbled, stifling a yawn._

"_Oh" I replied blushing._

"_I thought it was funny" she murmured, "now go to sleep, you're keeping me up, and if I'm tired I'll be really grouchy."_

_I laughed and said "Okay, sleep well, and sweet dreams querida."_


	19. Chapter 18

:Chapter 18:

I lay there, feeling the highest high possible. I looked down and saw Susannah, sleeping soundly. Her features looked even more beautiful than usual, as they were caressed by moonlight. Her breathing was calm and steady, finally lolling me off to sleep. The last thing I remember before drifting off was picturing Susannah in a gorgeous white, wedding gown. Slowly she strolled down the aisle of a grand church on the arm of her step-father, Andy. Her smile was brilliant, and entrancing, just like it always has been. But not only was her smile amazing, all of her was. Susannah had a glow to her, and that glow made her look angelic. It was the glow of happiness my mother had told me that women in love give off on their wedding day. I had made Susannah happy; I was the reason she was glowing. This was my last thought, on the best night of my life.

&&&

Slowly my eyes fluttered open. The sunlight was practically blinding, and I had to look away from the window. I looked around and realized, for the second night in a row, that I was not in my own room. I recognized the room as the guest room of my cousin's apartment; the room he promises will be mine after high school. I relaxed in the familiar surrounding and noticed a head of silky, chestnut hair, resting on my chest. Last night's festivities flooded me all at once, and I'm positive my grin could have blinded someone.

As quietly as I could, I kissed the top of Susannah's head, and crawled out of bed. I settled Susannah back onto the bed as gently as I possibly could, and covered her with the blankets. Next I had to find clothes. I opened the top dresser drawer, and pulled out a pair of clean boxers, and an undershirt. The next drawer had t-shirts, and then I scrambled over to the closet and grabbed a pair of black jeans.

A glance back at Susannah's sleeping form, and I rushed to the bathroom. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and shaved, hoping desperately that Susannah would not wake up. Once I was all washed up, I tip-toed to the kitchen and raided the refrigerator. My cousin had a gallon of spoiled orange juice, something foul smelling in a green Tupperware, and coffee creamer. _'So coffee it is.' _I hurriedly made a fresh pot of coffee, and then grabbed the phone from its plastic cradle. I went over to the other part of the apartment, known as my cousin's side, and called the only person I knew who could help me out in this situation, and on such short notice.

&&&

"You owe me SO bad for this. Oh and Father Dominic says that you should call him later" he said when I answered the door, about twenty minutes after getting off the phone.

"I know, I know. Thank you for coming through on this" I replied, in a whisper, and grabbed the white bag Adam held out for me.

"You know I'm risking suspension for ditching school, not to mention some serious grounding time if my parents find out" Adam added.

"Yeah, but that's never stopped you before" I teased, "CeeCee's waiting in the car, isn't she?"

Adam just smirked and asked, "So, who's eating with you?"

"Oh, Susannah…she's coming over in a few minutes, so could you…you know, go" I responded.

Adam chuckled, and nodded his head. "You know, Suze didn't show up at school today, but you wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

Now it was my turn to smirk. "I wish" I answered.

"Yeah, I hear ya. Well, I'll just get going so Suze doesn't see us and invite us up" Adam said, turning to leave.

"Jesse? Hmm…is that food, I smell?" Susannah asked, walking out from the bedroom. My jaw literally dropped at the sight of her. She had wrapped the sheet around herself, and pulled her hair into a messy bun, yet…she was stunning. I quickly shut the door, and locked it so Adam wouldn't even think of trying to get in.

"Yeah, breakfast. Hungry?" I questioned, walking over to her.

"Starving" she answered happily. I gently kissed her cheek, and set the food down on the counter.

"I thought a 'proper morning greeting' entailed more than a kiss on the cheek" she said smirking.

"Normally it does, but today I think we can wa-"

"Didn't I tell you to unite her with the ring!" Mrs. de Silva screamed, materializing onto a barstool.

"Uh, not you again; no offense but every time you show up, I end up in some sticky situation with Paul" Susannah sighed.

"You've seen her?" I asked Susannah.

"Yeah, twice and every tim-" she said.

"Okay, can we skip this little catching up thing beca-wait, why are you talking nicely to Jesse?" Mrs. de Silva snapped at Susannah.

Susannah in return eyed the female spirit curiously and responded, "We found a better way to beat Paul's scheme."

"You slept together!" Mrs. de Silva wailed. "Jesse, is gonna have a heart attack; no he's gonna kill this him, and then have a heart attack" she mumbled anxiously.

"I told you last night" I reminded the distraught woman.

"But I didn't think you two would actually go through with it!" she exclaimed.

"Last night?" Susannah asked, her right eyebrow rising inquisitively.

"When I was getting the…protection, she showed up" I explained.

"Sore?" Mrs. de Silva questioned Susannah.

"Yeah, like a bitch" Susannah answered, and then blushed when she looked at me.

"Sorry" I whispered to Susannah.

"It was worth it" she said smiling up at me. I smiled back and pulled her towards me, wrapping her protectively in my arms.

"Alright, way to make a pregnant woman feel awkward; so I'm gonna head out, and catch up with you two later. See ya around" Mrs. de Silva said before shimmering away.

"So you want to eat first, or I could draw you a warm bath…?" I asked Susannah.

"Depends" she answered.

"On…?"

"Are you going to join me? I need someone to wash my back" Susannah replied, pouting.

I smiled, and happily carried her off to the bathroom.

&&&

"This is by far, the best bath I have ever taken" I told Susannah as we relaxed across from each other. She ran her toes against my outer thigh, smiling bright when she noticed this tickled me.

"Are you…ticklish?" Susannah asked, with fake astonishment.

"Maybe…but not as much as you are" I said before capturing Susannah under me, and tickling her sides. She squirmed as best she could, but couldn't stop laughing.

"Okay, okay, you win" she giggled out. I stopped tickling her and smiled happily down at her. "Was that so difficult to admit?"

"Yes, I personally am not a fan of losing" she sighed, "but I bet there's one thing I can beat you at."

&&&

"Okay, you win at that, but tickling is my victory" I panted as Susannah and I fell back onto the mattress for about the third time.

"Deal" she replied equally out of breath.

"We should probably eat soon; we have to keep our strength up" I said, my breathing returning to its normal rhythm.

"For more of this, or for getting rid of Paul?" Susannah asked playfully.

"Both" I answered, smiling mischievously. Susannah smiled and cuddled closer to me. As she laid her head on my chest I tucked a few stray locks of chestnut hair behind her ear, and wrapped her up in my arms.

"I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling right now, without sounding really stupid" she murmured, lifting her head and gazing into my eyes.

I must have made an odd face, because Susannah smiled in a reassuring way before continuing.

"Don't get me wrong, the sex is **incredible**, but the whole after part seems so much better. I mean, you just hold me, and we just know how great what we just did was; without even saying anything. It's kind of like the sex is the part where we get to physically connect, and the after part is where we can emotionally connect. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it makes perfect sense, and that didn't make you sound stupid, querida" I assured her and kissed her hair. Susannah, however, reached up and pecked my lips. I don't know how to really describe it, but it was in the simplicity of that brief kiss, that I knew life couldn't better than right then at that moment.

"You wanna eat now?" Susannah asked, stretching.

"Yeah, just let me put on some clothes" I said, getting up.

"Now why would you do a crazy thing like that?" she questioned, smirking.

"Querida, I have to get dressed. I, unlike you, don't pull off a sheet very well."

"You're right, you look much better without the sheet" Susannah replied getting up and taking the sheet with her. Carefully she wrapped the sheet around herself and then grabbed my arm, pulling me after her as she went out in the kitchen. Luckily I was able to snatch my boxers before leaving the bedroom, and when we reached the kitchen I pulled them on.

"What's in the bag?" Susannah asked, turning to face me. When she noticed the boxers she stuck her tongue out at me and muttered "spoil sport."

"I ordered breakfast for us. I hope you like pancakes" I said, unpacking the containers of food.

"With strawberries and whipped cream on top?" Susannah asked.

"Yeah, I had them put the strawberries on the side, just in case you didn't like it" I answered, opening the two largest containers. Inside each container was three pancakes, with strawberries and whipped cream in separate containers.

"Well, aren't you Mr. Prepared?" Susannah joked, "Just like those boy scouts."

"And you would know about the boy scouts being prepared, how?" I teased.

"Some of my friends used to be boy scouts although I'm sure **you** know more about the boy scouts than I do" she countered.

"Me?" I asked, trying not to blush.

"Yes you; CeeCee told me about how cute you and Adam used to look in your little uniforms. Troop 817, was it?" she asked mockingly.

"816" I corrected her, blushing.

She gave me a big smile and came around the counter to my side.

"I wanna help" she cheered, still smiling.

"Querida, I'm just reheating breakfast. Why don't you get us two plates and forks. Oh, and I made a fresh pot of coffee, if you want" I replied, kissing the top of her head.

"Okay" she said, skipping over to the cabinets and searching for utensils.

Once the food was done, and the table set, Susannah and I sat down to eat. Sitting beside her, eating, and talking about whatever came to mind was perfect. Occasionally we would feed each other pieces of pancake or strawberries, and Susannah would dab some whipped cream on my face, then kiss or lick it off. I never knew breakfast could be so much fun.

&&&

"So what are we doing today?" Susannah asked emerging from the steamy bathroom. I know I've seen her naked, but seeing her in that small towel was kind of exciting me. I cleared my throat to hopefully clear my mind of those naughty thoughts.

"Umm…we could just hang around here today. Maybe devise a plan of action for tomorrow" I answered.

"Why don't we just go after Paul today?" Susannah inquired.

"Well, I…are you really up to it? …we could just relax…you know, if you're still…uhh…sore" I managed to mumble.

"Jesse, I'm fine really. Plus, how hard could it be to defeat Paul now?" she replied.

"Harder than you think" Slater said shimmering into view by the bedroom door. Casually he leant against the door frame, eyeing Susannah.

"Querida, why don't you go get dressed in the bathroom" I said handing Susannah her overnight bag.

"Jesse, I can handle-"

"After you get dressed, **we** can handle Slater. I'll keep him occupied" I interrupted her, gently pushing her back towards the bathroom.

"I thought you would budge I would argue, but since I know you better than that, I'll get dressed. Just promise you'll wait for me" she pleaded.

"I promise, now go get dressed" I said, kissing her forehead and closing the bathroom door.

"Slater what do you want?" I hissed.

"Well isn't this a cozy scene?" he said smirking, "you and Suze must be pretty comfortable with each other. Her showering here and all."

I smirked and replied "Yes, we are; the closet two people can get."

"Well, I doubt that, I mean really, brothers and sisters aren't as close as lovers" he scoffed.

"Okay, let's do this this" Susannah said emerging from the bathroom fully dressed. She came and stood beside me, sending Slater a menacing glare. I know now was the time to being checking out my girlfriend, but I couldn't help myself. Susannah was wearing a denim mini skirt and a low cut, black and green polka dotted halter top. And being a lot taller than Susannah, I was able to get a peek down her top and see a little bit of her black bra. I couldn't help but let a little smile creep onto my face, and I guess Susannah noticed the slightly naughty gleam in my eye. She very casually smiled back at me and mentally chimed _"Would you at least wait until **he** leaves. At least then we can do as we please, where we please."_

I must have started grinning because Slater sent me a hateful glare before turning his attention back to Susannah.

"Why are you two so chummy? Did I miss something?" he snapped.

"Nope, nothing too **_big_**" Susannah insinuated, poking me in my side with her elbow. I tried not blush, really I did, but Slater realized something was happening right in front of him, and he didn't have a clue as to what it might be, so he gave me another evil glance.

"So, I hear you two figured out what's going on, and plan on defeating me, as Suze so eloquently put it" Slater said with a cocky air.

"Well, we kind of have a plan" Susannah suggested.

"_Querida, why are you telling Paul this? I thought I very thoroughly cleansed you of all Slater control."_

"_You did, I'm just toying with him. You know how much I enjoy torturing him; let me have some fun."_

"_Fine, but don't make me have to stop you."_

"_Alright."_

"And what exactly does this plan of yours' involve?" Slater asked.

"Well…some rope…duct tape…"

"Wow Suze I know you liked weird things but I never took you for the bondage type. That's alright though, I'm up for kinky stuff" he interrupted.

I started towards him, but Susannah held me back. _"Jesse, he's just trying to get to you, don't give him that satisfaction. Besides, he's not worth it."_

"Wow, letting a girl control you, that's a new low, even for you de Silva" Slater said smirking.

"It's better than forcing a girl to like you, when you know she despises you, and loves someone else" I snapped.

"Think what you want de Silva, but after one of my kisses Suze was throwing herself at me. I doubt you could even imagine what that's like."

"Paul either cut it out right now, or be prepared for some lunch" Susannah said. Both Slater and I looked at her questioningly.

"Really, what exactly are we having? Cause you know, I'm in the mood for some youandmeaction and maybe some loseitdeSilva" he said, another over confident smirk appearing on his face.

Susannah made a disgusted face and then plowed her fist into his nose. "I was thinking more along the lines of a knuckle sandwich" she teased.

Slater must have been caught completely off guard because he fell to floor cupping his now bleeding nose. "You bitch! You fucking broke my nose! You broke my nose!" he wailed.

"Watch your mouth, Slater" I warned.

"It wouldn't be the first time" Mrs. de Silva happily cheered, shimmering onto the bed.

"Holy crap, now's there's two of you! What the hell is going on!" Slater cried. We all just ignored him and Susannah and I stepped closer to Mrs. de Silva.

"Okay, Jesse go get the ring. Suze, you and I need to chat" she said sternly. Susannah winced at her tone but nodded her head in acknowledgement. I eyed the spirit suspiciously, taking a protective step closer to Susannah.

"What part of go get the ring don't you understand?" hissed Mrs. de Silva.

After a quick glance at Susannah, I quickly ran out to the living room where I last remembered seeing the ring box, and frantically searched the area near the barstools. About ten minutes later I finally found the tiny black velvet box under the edge of the carpet from the living room, and then went back to the bedroom. Only when I got there Susannah was lying face down on the floor and Paul was no where to be seen. Mrs. de Silva had somehow vanished as well, but all that wasn't registering in my mind. The only thing I could think of was rushing to Susannah.

Carefully I flipped her onto her back, and then checked her breathing. She had blood on her lips and in her mouth, but her breathing was steady and strong. Her pulse however was speeding. I tried waking her but she seemed to be unconscious. Then her breathing became labored and I quickly grabbed the cordless on the night stand.

"911 what is your emergency?" a friendly sounding woman asked.

"I need an ambulance, my girlfriend is hurt! Her pulse is racing and she not breathing very well" I hurried out.

"Is she conscious?" the woman questioned typing quickly.

"No, she's not responding. Please hurry, I don't know what's wrong" I pleaded, feeling a tingle in the corner of my eyes.

"Okay I traced your address, but I need to know what building and apartment number you're in sweetie" she said.

"Building A, apartment number 48" I prattled, clutching Susannah's hand like my life depended on it.

"Okay an ambulance is on its way, I'm going to stay on the line with you until they get there alright."

"Thank you, how long will it be before they arrive?" I quickly blurted nervously.

"Five to ten minutes; don't worry. Is there any change in her condition? Is she bleeding anywhere?" the operator asked calmly.

"No her breathing is still wheezy, but yeah she has blood in her mouth and on her lips" I answered.

"Does she have a cut on her lips? Or is the blood from inside her mouth?" she questioned.

"I…I don't know, let me check" I said gently wiping the blood from Susannah's lips. She had a cut on her lower lip, and blood was slowly trickling out of it. "She has a cut on her lower lip, but it won't stop bleeding."

"That's okay, when the paramedics arrive they'll either bandage it up or see if it needs stitches" she replied.

"I hear the ambulance" I told the operator.

"Okay well when they get up to your apartment I'll get off the phone with you" she informed me.

"Okay" I said.

About a minute or so later, two paramedics knocked on the front door and I ran to open the door for them. The operator, true to her word, reassured me that everything would be alright and then said to tell the paramedics what had happened, before hanging up.

They quickly asked me questions about Susannah, like had she been drinking, was she allergic to any medications, and how long had it been since I found her like this. I answered their questions, hoping they could tell me what was wrong with Susannah, but they just examined her and then loaded her onto a gurney.

"We're gonna rush her to the hospital, she should have responded by now, and her breathing is becoming ragged and inconsistent" one of the EMTs said, rolling the gurney towards the door.

"Can I go with her, or do I have to follow?" I asked anxiously.

"You can ride in the back with her. Are you family or friend?" he questioned.

"Umm…friend" I answered.

"Boyfriend, I'm assuming" he replied, helping the other EMT rush Susannah down the stairs.

"Yeah" I affirmed, following behind Susannah's gurney.

When we reached outside the EMTs loaded Susannah and then allowed me to get in. I held her hand to whole way to the hospital, reassuring her that everything would be fine, and that there was no reason to worry about anything because the EMTs were trying their hardest to help her. I tried sending her mental messages, but she wasn't responding, which worried me even more.

The hospital admitted Susannah at 3:17 PM, but didn't allow me to see her until a little after five o'clock. During the time I was waiting I called Susannah's house and explained to David what had happened. He said that his brothers weren't home and probably wouldn't be until either late that night or early the next morning, so could I keep him updated on Susannah's condition. I offered to pick him up so he could see Susannah, but he said that he had to stay home in case his parents called to check in. He also thanked me for watching out for his sister, and told me I was nice guy. The last part confused me slightly, but I was happy to be making a good impression on someone in Susannah's family, even under these circumstances.

The second I was allowed to see Susannah I rushed into the room, only what I saw didn't ease my stress about all this. Susannah la y there on the white hospital bed, hooked up to numerous machines which were busy beeping and whirring. She looked so pale and I dare say, lifeless like that. Slowly I inched towards her bed, and gazed down at her. I couldn't see the cut on her lip because of the tube that was taped into her mouth, but somehow that didn't bother me. The fact that there was a tube down Susannah's throat was making me queasy, but when I realized that the tube was probably connected to a machine that was breathing for mi querida I started crying.

I couldn't help but let the tears stream down my face. How could I not cry at a time like this? My querida was laying in a hospital bed, while a machine breathed for her; and I was going to find out why.

'_Slater had to have done this. My question was why. Did he really hate losing Susannah so much, that he would rather she die, than be with me? How could he do that? What kind of monster would do this someone they supposedly loved? No one, that's who. Because anyone who loves someone knows, that they would rather that person be happy with someone else, than miserable with them. This was some sick plan that Slater thought up, only thinking of himself. Didn't he realize that Susannah was being hurt! I would rather, as much as it might pain me, see Susannah with Slater, than connected to all these machines, suffering and struggling, even to breathe for herself.'_

I plopped myself down onto the hard plastic chair beside Susannah's bed and carefully clutched her ice cold hand.

"Excuse me, young man, are you a relative or friend of the patient?" an older looking nurse asked from the doorway.

I looked up to the woman, after wiping away the tear stains from my face and said "Yes ma'm, I'm her boyfriend."

"Were you the one that found her?" she questioned.

"Yes, I came with her in the ambulance" I answered politely.

"Well, the police are here and they'd like to talk to you" she said apologetically, as two policemen appeared behind her.

"Oh, alright, thank you. But may inquire as to Susannah's condition? No one has told me anything since she was first admitted" I replied.

"Yes, after the nice policemen leave, we can discuss the patient" she said smiling kindly.

"Susannah" I mumbled.

"I'm sorry dear, what was that?" she asked.

"Susannah. You said the patient; her name is Susannah, but she goes by Suze" I said looking at the woman. She had kind eyes. Eyes like my mother.

She sent me a warm smile and said "Susannah. Well, Susannah is very lucky to have such a kind young gentleman as yourself watching out for her. I'll come check on Susannah in a few minutes, and then we can talk about what's going on with her treatment."

I nodded my head and watched as she strolled away, and the two officers stepped inside the room.

They looked awfully familiar, and they too seemed to be trying to place me.

"Have we arrested you before?" asked officer Kircher.

"No sir, but I think we've met" I answered, "did you break up a fight between my girlfriend and Paul Slater this past Monday?"

"Yeah…you must be pretty pissed off about that. Wait, did that Paul punk have something to do with this?"

"I believe so sir. He was with us right before this happened" I explained, motioning towards Susannah, "but…I went into the other room to look for something, and when I got back I found Susannah face down on the carpet."

"What were you two doing with the kid that attacked her?" asked the other officer; Officer Ruiz.

"We were getting cleaned up, when he just appeared out of nowhere" I recounted.

"Okay so we got this kid for at least breaking and entering, plus suspected assault" said officer Kircher.

"Is that enough to arrest him and keep him in jail, at least until we can nail him for the assault?" I asked.

"Son, with the assault charges from Monday, and the breaking and entering we can keep him for at least a couple days. And if we get the assault charge we can arrest him and have him in court by the end of the month" answered Officer Ruiz.

"You're Hector "Jesse" de Silva, correct?" asked officer Kircher, after flipping through his little notepad.

"Yes, sir."

"Then what may I ask were you doing in the apartment of Diego Moreno?" asked Officer Ruiz.

"Diego is my cousin. He's studying abroad for a semester and he lets me stay whenever I like" I replied.

"Alright well, do you remember hearing anything after you left the room? How long were out of the room for?" officer Kircher interrogated.

"No sir, I didn't even hear Susannah fall. But I must have been out for about ten minutes, maybe less."

"Well, I think we have enough here to at least bring this Slater punk in for questioning. If we can get him confess, though, things will be a lot easier, not only for us but for him" said Officer Ruiz, closing his notepad and sticking it back into its holder on his belt.

"Thank you for your cooperation Mr. de Silva, we appreciate it, really, but we have one more question to ask you" the officers said, looking at each other and then back at me.

"Alright" I muttered.

"Are you and the victim sexually active?" asked officer Kircher.

"Umm…y-yes sir" I sputtered.

"And when was the last time you two…had relations?" asked Officer Ruiz, struggling to find the right words.

"Well, this morning, actually" I mumbled, blushing "Why do you ask?"

"Well, when she was admitted the doctor that examined her found vaginal penetration and trace amounts of semen on her inner thigh. We were just wondering if it was possible that her attacker also raped her. But thank you for answering honestly, I know it can be embarrassing to discuss your personal relationship with a complete stranger, let alone a cop" explained the officers.

"Wait, you said that the doctor found semen on her inner thighs. But Susannah showered just right before her attack" I snapped angrily.

"Son, sometimes it takes more than a little soap and water to get that stuff off, but if you'd like we can do a DNA test, just to be sure" said Officer Ruiz, obviously trying to reassure me.

"I think, maybe just to be on the safe side" I murmured, holding Susannah's hand tighter in mine.

"Alright, well we'll send out someone from our forensics department later. Will you be here?" asked officer Kircher.

"I'm not leaving her side until she's released" I stated.

"Okay, well we'll stop by if we need anything else" they said stepping back towards the door.

"Oh, actually there's one more small thing we need" said Officer Ruiz, "we have access to your cousin's apartment because it's now a crime scene, but what is it you went to get from the other room, that took you ten minutes?"

"My grandmother's engagement ring. I had left it in the living room, and I went to go get it so I could give it to Susannah after Slater left. Plus I wanted to be sure he didn't try and steal it" I replied.

They nodded their heads and then stepped out of the room. I turned my attention back to mi querida, and noticed her cheeks were flushed. I squeezed her hand and mentally tried to talk to her.

"_Querida, can you hear me?"_

"_Ouch! Wh-Jesse?" she answered._

"_Oh, Susannah. Are you alright? Why aren't you waking up?"_

"_Jesse-Owh!-I've been better, as you can tell, but I'm alive and breathing" she chimed._

"_Susannah, you're alive, yes, but a machine is practically breathing for you. You are not okay! Now, why aren't you waking up?" I huffed._

"_A machine? Jesse, where am I? I can't see anything.; all I see is black. And you're the only thing I can hear" she stammered._

"_Querida, but get upset. I need you to focus on waking up and getting back to me. These past few hours have been a living nightmare. I need you back here with me" I said, holding back tears._

"_I've been out for hours? Jesse, I don't know how to wake up. I thought this was up" she choked out, sounding like she was trying desperately not to cry._

"_Susannah you're at the hospital, connected to more machines than I can count. Please just wake up. I've been so worried."_

"_Okay, okay…I can do this. Wait…am I bruised up?" she asked._

"_A little, I mean your eye is turning purple, am your lip is cut, but that's it. Querida, don't worry about what you look like right now, worry about waking up."_

"_Ouch!" she screamed._

"_What? What's wrong?" I asked._

"_I think I'm waking up, but it hurts so bad" she wailed, but to me it sounded like a whisper._

"_I know it hurts, but I need you to keep trying. Just focus. Can you feel me holding your hand?"_

"_I…I think so. OWH! Oh, mother of god!"_

"_Querida, everything will be alright. Just wake up, please" I pleaded._

_But only mental silence answered me._

"_Querida! Susannah, are you alright?"_

I heard an odd gasp like noise, beside me and I snapped my head towards Susannah. Her eyelids were awkwardly fluttering, and her skin was showing color again.

I yelled for a nurse and a few seconds later the same older woman rushed into the room. "What is it, what's wrong?"

"Look" I said.

"Oh my word. Let me get the doctor" she said before racing out of the room.

"Querida?" I asked.

Another gasp like noise came out of her, but it sounded painful. Then her eyes popped open and she released another painful sounding gasp. Quickly she scanned the room and when her eyes landed on me I couldn't help but smile. Her eyes looked panicked, though, and I sensed something was wrong.

"Oh my god, she's awake" exclaimed a doctor walking through the door, "What happened?"

"She started making this weird gasping noise, and then her eyes opened. She's been looking around for a while, but she still keeps making that gasping sound" I informed him.

"Because of the tube down her throat; she's trying to breathe on her own, and the tube is still providing oxygen for her" he said carefully peeling the tape from Susannah's mouth and slowly pulling the tube out from her throat. I tried not to gag, but seeing that long tube being pulled out from Susannah's mouth was making me queasy.

Once he had removed the tube he watched Susannah and took out a little penlight. "Miss Simon, I'm Dr. Rogers. You're at the Carmel Valley Hospital. Can you blink twice for me?"

Susannah blinked her eyes twice and then looked over at me. Her hand, which had just a few minutes ago felt limp and light as a feather, was now tightly holding my own. I sent her the best smile I could summon and stroked the back of the hand with my thumb.

"Well, apparently she recognizes you, that's always a good sign" said Dr. Rogers, "Now Susannah I want you to relax and try not to talk for awhile; you're throat is probably still sore from the breathing tube. I'll have the nurse bring you some fluids, but until further notice, I don't want you scarfing down any cheese burgers, okay?"

Susannah gave him a small smile and nodded her head, quickly turning back to me.

"Querida, are you alright?" I asked.

She nodded her head, and tried to sit up, but Dr. Rogers stopped her, "Relax, okay. I need to check some of the machines and then examine you before you can go sitting up. Who's what you'll do after that; maybe even turn over."

Susannah sent him a polite smile, but then turned her head back to me and sent me an annoyed look. _"Geez, pedophile much."_

I laughed and gently kissed her hand, _"He's just trying to do his job querida."_

"_Well he can do his job just fine without trying to flirt with me. And you're right there! What a freak!"_

"_Are you still in pain?" I asked after smiling._

"_Yeah, but not as much. That breathing tube hurt like a mofo!"_

"_Yes, but it was the only thing keeping you alive for awhile" I chimed._

Susannah didn't say anything but stuck her tongue out at me, and smiled.

"Well that's not very nice" teased Dr. Rogers, "be nice to your relative, or they won't send you flowers."

"Uhh…I'm not related to Susannah; I'm her boyfriend" I said.

Dr. Rogers looked shocked, and then looked to Susannah. She happily smiled and nodded her head. After that the doctor hurriedly finished examining Susannah and then said he had to go check on his other patients.

"_Told you he was pedophile."_

_> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _

Sorry it took so long for me to update, hope you enjoyed.-Lauren


	20. Chapter 19

:Chapter 19:

"…but that's all I remember before hearing you in my head, and then waking up here" Susannah concluded.

"So…it wasn't…" I mumbled.

"Nope" she interrupted.

"But, he just seemed like the logical choice. I mean how could I not think it was him?" I said.

"I know, but I'm telling she went completely psycho on me, and then I heard you, and that was it" Susannah recounted.

"Paul must have been in on it" I murmured.

"I think he was. Right before she went psycho he said some weird word, and then she went nuts. It was like 'gamvadgooloo" she informed me. But suddenly I couldn't think, all I could do was kiss Susannah. It was like someone was controlling me, telling me exactly what to do. At first I was kissing her gently, but then I was straddling her on the mattress and kissing down her neck, trying desperately to remove her hospital gown.

"Jesse" Susannah squeaked, "Jesse, stop it." But I couldn't. My mind was racing, and I was beginning to fear what might happen if I didn't figure out how to control myself again.

"_Querida, we have a problem" I hurriedly said._

"_Yeah, we do, you won't quit it. Jesse, my stepbrothers are coming to visit me today, if they catch us like this they will kill you. Plus, this isn't working for me. I'm in pain, still" Susannah replied._

"_No, Susannah that's not the problem. It's worst than that" I warned._

"_If you say we don't have a condom, I'll kill you right here, right now" she huffed._

"_I can't control myself" I snapped._

"_Well, pull it together, and get the hell off of me" she hissed._

"_No, querida, I literally can't control myself. My body is acting of it's own accord."_

"_Seriously?" she asked cautiously._

"_Susannah, I would never force myself on you, especially not under these circumstances" I answered._

_She gasped, "the word, that's what it does. It controls people" she blurted._

"Gamvadgooloo." And suddenly I fell on top of Susannah.

"Owh!" she exclaimed

"Querida, I'm so sorry. Are you alright? Should I call the nurse?" I rambled, carefully climbing off of Susannah and her small hospital bed.

"No, I'll survive, besides what would I tell her, you tried to 'force yourself on me'?" she questioned sarcastically. "And despite the sexual harassment, I want you here with me. Plus, you're the only one who visits me" she said pouting.

"Susannah, you've only been here a day, and besides I'm not visiting you, I'm practically living in here with you" I teased.

"Well, it feels like a lot longer. I'm bored. I mean, the TV only gets basic cable, and I can't sleep anymore, plus you won't talk to me about anything interesting. All you do is ask me how I'm feeling, or if you can get something for me, which don't get me wrong, it's sweet, but after hearing for the millionth time in like 3 hours, gets a little annoying. When you finally asked me what happened I was actually ecstatic to be telling you about it" she explained.

"I'm sorry querida, I'm just trying to make sure you're well taken care of" I mumbled, holding her hand.

"No you're not. You blame yourself for what happened, don't you?" she asked.

I looked down, unable to look into her entrancing emerald eyes, and murmured "No."

"Jesse" she sighed, " it isn't your fault."

"But it is my fault Susannah…it's all my fault" I squeaked.

"No, it isn't. Jesse you aren't my designated protector. You had no control over what happened. And even if you would have been there, do you really think Paul wouldn't have had Mrs. de Silva go after you first. If something would have happened to you, just so Paul could get to me, I would never forgive myself for putting you in the middle of all this, and furthermore-"

"Susannah, I am already in the middle of this. You didn't bring me into this; I brought you into it. If you had never met me, or even come to Carmel, you wouldn't have to deal with all this" I interrupted.

"But then I would feel empty inside, only for my whole life, instead of just until I met you. Jesse, your head may be able to forget love, but your heart remembers. I would know, deep down that whoever I was with, wasn't my true love, and so would you. It wouldn't be fair to the other people, or to the both of us," she added.

"Querida" I cooed, and gently kissed her forehead, smiling brightly at her words.

"Besides, you couldn't not make me come to Carmel. It was fate that brought my mom and Andy together, just like us."

"I know, I just can't help thinking that if Paul really wanted us to be apart so badly, why didn't he just make sure you never came to Carmel?" I asked.

"Because he couldn't just stop my dad from dying when I was little. It's not like he could prevent the heart attack my dad had on his run that Sunday. Paul may be powerful, but no one can alter history that much. Besides it would have a huge ripple effect if he did. I mean think about it. My mom would never marry Andy and move us here. I'd never meet you or Paul, or anyone else from here. Oh my gosh, that's it! That's why he didn't change it. Jesse, Paul didn't mess with anything that happened before I came to Carmel because if he had then I would never meet him either" she rambled.

"But, then why didn't he just keep me as a ghost and exorcise me?" I questioned.

"Because he thought that if I met him first he could kiss me, and then I'd never even realize that I was supposed to be with you," she exclaimed.

"Susannah, what if Mrs. de Silva was working with Paul this whole time? Maybe that's why Paul told her to attack you, because she told him that we'd made love, and that he couldn't get you back no matter what now" I said.

"It's makes sense of why Paul would have her attack me, but it doesn't explain why she helped us at first. I mean why would she give us advice on how to beat Paul, if she was working with him all along?" Susannah asked.

"Maybe he didn't control her until just before the attack" I offered.

"It was just after I left your cousin's apartment actually" said Mrs. de Silva, shimmering onto Susannah's bed. She sat next to mi querida, gazing at her face. "I really am sorry about what happened. But that Paul is a dumb ass, and he actually told me what he was planning. Yeah, right before he shifted me to Shadowland, which was stupid on his part. I mean really, I may have the abilities of a ghost, but I am a spiritual form, not a freaking ghost. Only a complete idiot wouldn't be able to tell the difference" she scoffed.

"So you didn't try to whack me of your own accord?" Susannah asked, raising her left eyebrow quizzically.

"No, like I told you the first time I met you, I need to make sure you stay alive and well so that you two can get rid of Paul. And Father D. just informed me earlier that if you two beat Paul in this universe, not only will get rid of him permanently here, but you'll get him out of my universe too" she said happily.

"So, after this is all over, what's gonna happen? Are we just going to coexist, but in separate universes? Or what?" Susannah questioned.

"Well, that's where things get complicated. I'm not supposed to tell you what happens until after you get rid of Paul, cause if I do it revokes the pass I got to help you two out here, in this universe" Mrs. de Silva explained.

"You needed a pass to come help us?" I asked.

"Yeah some special inter-universal traveling pass. Jesse got it for me, how I don't know, but I'm assuming it wasn't easy to get" she answered.

"So have you told him about the baby yet?"

I heard it, but I couldn't tell which Susannah had said it, and before I could ask I thought about how I would react if mi querida were pregnant. That's when I passed out.


	21. Chapter 20

:Chapter 20:

My mind swirled with images of babies and they all seemed to be smiling at me. One specifically caught my attention, a gorgeous baby with dark hair and stunning green eyes. I tried to reach out to it but I felt myself being pulled further away. And then I was looking into those same emerald eyes. "Jesse, are you okay?" Susannah asked, giving me a weak smile.

"Querida, I saw…I saw…" I babbled, trying to piece together the right words.

"What happened? I mean one second I'm talking to Mrs. de Silva, and the next thing I know you're passed out on the floor" she exclaimed, and then gently ran her fingers over my cheek.

"Susannah, I…I saw a baby. Our baby" I finally managed to say.

Susannah's eyes got wide and she looked completely puzzled. "What baby?"

"While I was passed out, I saw our baby. It was so beautiful querida, just like you. It had your eyes, but it had dark hair like mine" I explained excitedly.

"Jesse, we don't have a baby. Did you hit your head, when you fell, maybe?" she questioned with an odd expression on her face.

"No, Susannah I know about the baby" I squealed and placed my palm over her stomach.

"Jesse, honey, we don't have a baby" she repeated, sending me a worried glance, and pushing away my hand.

"But I heard you and Mrs. de Silva" I said taken aback.

"Jesse," she said with a smirk "Mrs. de Silva is pregnant, not me."

"How…then how did I see it? How did I see our baby?" I asked incredulously.

"I don't know, but it's nice to know you're planning for our future" Susannah sighed contentedly, lying back on her hospital bed. That was when I noticed, that I too was laying on Susannah's hospital bed.

"How did you get me on your bed?" I questioned.

"Well, I was going to lift you up onto it, but Mrs. de Silva decided it would be bettered if she floated you onto it" she answered.

"How long was I out?" I asked glancing at my watch.

"A little less than two hours" Susannah said very matter of factly.

"Didn't a nurse come check on you?" I asked, wide eyed.

"Yeah, but I pretended to be asleep, and wrapped my arms around you. The nurse kind of smiled to herself and then left. I fell asleep for a little while, but I woke up when I felt you move, and then you woke up" she recounted.

"Why did you move?" I asked playfully, wrapping my arms around mi querida.

"I don't know, just wanted to be the first thing you saw when you woke up I guess" Susannah said, wrapping her arms around me.

I smiled to myself and kissed her hair before relaxing and drifting off to sleep for the first time since Susannah was admitted.

&&&

I woke up a few hours later to the sound of someone loudly clearing his or her throat. When I opened my eyes I saw three boys. Two of them I recognized as Brad and David, Susannah's stepbrothers. The other boy looked a little older than Brad, and really familiar. But if their lethal glares were any indication, they apparently didn't like the position Susannah and I were in.

"Querida, you need to wake up now" I chimed, trying to lift Susannah off my chest and unwrap myself from her embrace.

"Hmm, five more minutes…please Jesse" Susannah whined, tugging at my arm, "I promise I'll make it up to you later."

"Susannah" I squeaked as her hand traveled down my abdomen and towards my lower region. "Susannah, your brothers are here to see you," I said, grabbing her hand midway down my stomach.

"You're kidding me right?" she breathed, peeking open her eyes.

I shook my head and finally managed to get up from Susannah's hospital bed.

"Hey Jesse" David smiled, "Suze, how are you?"

"I've been better, but a hug could help" Susannah replied, holding out her arms. David gleefully ran to Susannah and gave her a big hug. "Hmm, I've missed you Doc."

"I missed you too" he sighed happily.

Susannah scooted over on her bed, and patted the space beside her for David sit.

"Jesse" Brad mumbled, nodding his head in my direction.

"Dude" Jake huffed, but then turned and whispered something in Brad's ear. Brad in turn mumbled something back to Jake and he seemed pleased with what he heard.

"So, Jesse, what are you doing here?" Brad asked, trying to look dangerous, but it just made him look constipated.

"I heard about what happened and I rushed over" I lied.

"Yeah, he called me when Suze got admitted" David added.

"How is it that you heard about Suze getting hurt, when her other friends didn't know until like just right now?" Brad questioned.

"I called him" Susannah blurted, "I… Jesse was the only person I knew would be here, and I remembered his number from the other day."

I smiled to myself and sent Susannah a mischievous glance. She sent me an equally mischievous glance, along with a sly smile.

"Dude weren't you over at the house the other day?" Jake asked, with a weird look on his face.

"_He's trying to think" Susannah giggled._

"_Querida, I want to be nice to your brothers, and you're not helping any by making fun of them" I replied._

"_Fine, fine, but you don't have to be nice to them, only me" she smiled._

"Yes, I was working on homework with Susannah" I answered.

"Okay, you just looked really familiar" he sighed.

"Suze, when do you get to come home?" David asked, wrapping his arms around her affectionately.

"Umm…Jesse?" she started.

"The doctor is going to run some more tests, but Susannah should be out by tomorrow afternoon" I replied, smiling proudly at Susannah.

"Thank God, I'm going crazy in here!" Susannah huffed, "The TV only gets like 4 channels, and all they feed me is icky hospital food."

"Actually the food they serve you is known to cut a patient's healing time by at least a third" David chirped.

"Yeah, well I think I'd rather take my chances with the healing time. I swear that jello they brought me earlier was practically covered in lint and crap. It gave me a really bad stomach ache, and the coffee here sucks" she exclaimed.

We all chuckled, and I gently stroked the back of Susannah's hand lying at her side. She smiled up at me and David hopped off of Susannah's bed.

"Are you guys leaving already?" Susannah asked.

"Oh, no I just wanted to look at your file" David said, grabbing the metallic clipboard from the foot of Susannah's bed.

"Jesse, can we talk outside?" Brad asked, motioning for me to follow him and Jake into the hallway. I took a calming breath and reminded myself not to panic. _'They just want to talk de Silva, relax.'_

"_If they hurt you, I'll take care of it" Susannah said, sounding very serious._

"_Querida, I'll be fine" I replied._

"So what exactly is going on with you and my sister?" Jake asked, crossing his arms over his chest, and giving me an evil glare.

"Well, we were friends… at first, but…I asked her to go out with me, because I think she is the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on, and she's funny, and caring, and kind of shy, and…I really lo-like her" I answered, correcting myself just in time.

"You asked her out?" Brad questioned, with a disgusted face.

"Yeah, just the other day" I said.

"Did she say yes?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, she did, and we had lunch at the café off main street" I replied.

"Well, listen up dude, if you hurt my sister, we'll hurt you. Got it?" Jake stated.

"You have nothing to worry about, I promise not to hurt her" I assured him.

"Dude watch out for Suze hurting you, that girl can throw a right hook like a real pro," he warned me, with a knowing look on his face.

I nodded and then followed Jake and Brad back into Susannah's room.

"David, just shush" Susannah squeaked, as we walked in.

"But, Suze" David whined, "if I don't you know what will happen."

"David, we'll discuss this later" Susannah snapped. I sent her a questioning glance and she responded with _"I'll tell you after they leave."_

"_Querida, what's wrong, you look pale?" I asked, taking cautious but quick steps over to her side._

"_After they leave. I don't need you to get all freaked out in front of them" she said, sending me a slightly worried, slightly reassuring smile._

"Alright well, we better take off. Dad and your mom have been calling like crazy trying to check up on us. Feel better Suze," said Jake coming to Susannah's other side and giving her a slight hug, then kissing her hair. "And try no to get hurt again, especially while you're still in the hospital" he teased.

Susannah stuck out her tongue at him and then motioned for David to come to her. She pulled him into a hug, and whispered something in his ear. David listen intently and then nodded as he pulled away from Susannah. She gave him a bright, cheerful smile, and he twitched the corners of his mouth up slightly, but sent me a menacing glare as he exited the room.

"What did I do to David?" I asked Susannah, sitting on her bed, next to her knees.

"It's not really what you did to David" Susannah said, giving me a reassuring look, "it's more about what you did to me. And hopefully will be doing to me a lot…in the future, not just now."

"Querida, I'm not quite sure I understand what you're saying," I admitted.

"Davidknowswehadsex" she squeaked.

"David WHAT?" I practically yelled.

"Shush! Now relax, and I'll tell you, because I'm not going to tell anything to you if you're mad" Susannah said. I took a couple deep breaths to show that I was making an effort to relax, but inside my heart was pounding, and not in the good way.

"Okay, I'm relaxed, now please explain what's going on" I calmly prompted.

"Well, umm, David read the doctor's notes in the clipboard thingy, and apparently the doctor that first examined me found trace amounts of semen on my inner thighs, and evidence of vaginal penetration. And if the doctor found this he must have told you, and I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Susannah explained, in an exasperated tone.

"David read about that?" I asked, wide eyed.

"Okay, you're totally avoiding the fact that I'm just a tad bit upset with you at the moment" she sighed heavily.

"No…querida, I'm just worried about what David will say and how he will think of me now," I said, looking Susannah in the eye.

"Jesse, I told David that yes I'm not a virgin, but that it was a choice I had to make, and that I love the man that made love to me, and that I always will" she breathed, leaning back against her pillows.

"You really told him that?" I questioned, with a slight smirk.

"Well, I didn't say 'the man that made love to me', I believe my exact words were 'the spy that shagged me'" Susannah replied, a smile creeping onto her face.

"I love you Susannah Simon" I stated, leaning towards mi querida and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

&&&

"Querida, I brought you some coffee from the cafeteria downstairs" I whispered in Susannah's ear before giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. It was around 11 AM, and I knew Susannah was tired. She had been tossing and turning in her sleep, just about all night, and occasionally she would call out my name, but there was always fear in her voice.

"Susannah, it's a Starbucks caramel macchiato" I added waving it near her nose.

She quickly peeked open her eyes and then smiled. "You're the best boyfriend in the whole wide world" she chimed, sitting up and gratefully taking the hot coffee from my hand.

"Then you have to be the best girlfriend in the whole wide world" I replied, watching her sip the coffee greedily.

"Awh, that it sooo sweet" said a feminine voice form the doorway. "You're never that cute with me," CeeCee added giving Adam a quick smack in the chest.

"Why do you have to do? Jesse is just all sweet cause he's getting laid" Adam pointed out.

CeeCee's eyes widened and she looked at Susannah and me with an odd expression on her pale face. "Suze, what's he talking about?" she asked, staring at Susannah.

"Umm…querida, you and CeeCee should chat, me and Adam are going down to the cafeteria, maybe I'll sneak you some good food to go with your coffee" I sputtered, quickly darting from the room with Adam hot on my heels. Once we were alone in the elevator I punched the button marked 2 and huffed "I can't believe you just did that."

"Yeah, me neither. I'm gonna get hurt later, aren't I?" Adam asked.

I chuckled and looked over at him, "Yeah, probably, but the real question is which one of them is gonna get to you first."

"Well, if it is from both of them I at least hope they do it at the same time, cause even I wouldn't mind getting beat by two hot girls. You know as long as they're wearing bikinis and there's mud involved, or water…water would be nice too" he joked, with a dreamy smile on his face.

"Please never think of my girlfriend like that again" I said, in a friendly way, not angry, which surprised even me.

"Dude, you just called Suze your girlfriend" Adam pointed out, "have you guys even gone out on a date yet?"

"Yeah, we had lunch at that little café off of main street" I answered happily. The elevator doors opened and Adam and I walked down the hallway that led to the cafeteria.

"Okay, Jesse, really… lunch?" Adam questioned stopping in the middle of the hallway.

I nodded, not quite sure what he was getting at.

"Have I taught you nothing, young grasshopper?" Adam asked using his best Mr. Myagi imitation.

"Can we continue this in the cafeteria, I haven't eaten since yesterday morning, and I'm starving" I pleaded.

Adam started walking down the hallway again, but his chiding wouldn't stop. "Jesse, having lunch with a girl isn't a date" he huffed, "it's like a business meeting, or just 2 friends eating together. Suze totally put you in the friend zone."

"Adam, I highly doubt I'm in Susannah's friend zone. We made love for God's sake" I countered.

"Made love'?" Adam repeated with a disgusted look on his face. "Dude you had sex, why are you going all chick flick on me?"

"Adam, I'm in love" I stated plainly, and grabbed a tray from the large stack.

"Oh my God, you get laid once and suddenly you're in love? Jesse, Suze is a hot girl. Like Kelly hot, but with an ass that would make J. Lo jealous" Adam snapped.

"I hope you have a point here," I said, not liking his remarks about mi querida.

"Do you really think Suze is gonna stay with one guy? I mean really, Jesse. I just don't wanna see you get hurt over some girl that let you have your naughty way with her" he said sounding exasperated.

"Is that really what you think all this is?" I asked in shock, dropping the turkey sandwich I had been grabbing.

"Dude, you're trailing behind Suze like a little puppy, and you expect me to believe that she's **not** gonna take advantage of you?" he exclaimed.

I set down my empty tray and looked Adam in the eye. "If you really don't want me to get hurt, you wouldn't say any of this to me. It's my understanding that friends are supposed to be happy for their friends when something like this happens to them, yet all you can seem to do is berate Susannah and what we have together. Well, you know what Adam, I'm sick of it! I'm sick of always being the one happy for you. Happy for you and CeeCee, happy for you to be able to flirt with tons of girls with no problem, and even manage to go out some of them. But I want you to know that every time CeeCee hears about you this girl or you and that girl, her hearts breaks. You won't know how good you have it until she's gone, Adam. And believe me, one day she will be" I said, and then turned and walked back out into the hallway. I caught an elevator and then rode up to the eighth floor in silence.

I tried to force all my anger deep down and wait to release it later, but it kept boiling up to the surface.

'What right does he think he has to try and lessen what I share with Susannah? It's him who should be worrying about his relationship. After all, I'm not the one with a girlfriend who's been seeing the editor of the school newspaper at NoCal.'

As I got off the elevator and reached Susannah's room I heard her and CeeCee giggling about something. "But it was so sweet Cee, I mean I've never been so happy in my whole life-"

"Except for the day you met me" CeeCee interrupted.

"Of course, but…I just feel like maybe I was wrong to rush right into our physical relationship. I mean it was so worth it, but I'm just kind of nervous that maybe he got the wrong idea about me" Susannah admitted.

"Suze that boy adores you, if you're really that upset about this than why don't you just ask Jesse?" CeeCee replied.

"I don't know, it just never seems like it's the right time, or I try to start but I end up talking myself out of it, and then I feel stupid for thinking these things, because I love Jesse with all my heart and he tells me he loves me all the time. Plus I felt it when we made love, it was like this comforting, warm wave came inside me, and I felt like the world made perfect sense. But now, I'm not so sure about it. I mean what if he just thought he was getting laid, and he's only sticking around now cause he feels sorry for me. That would just kill me, really it would. I would just curl up into a ball, cry my eyes out, and then die" Susannah explained.

"Jesse isn't the fuck and run type, trust me on this. I've known him since we were little, and in all that time not once have I ever seen him this happy or excited. Suze, Jesse is like the commitment god. My only advice is to keep him for as long as you can, because you won't ever find another guy like him."

"Cee," Susannah chimed, "what about you and Adam? What's going on there?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, I love the boy to death, but I can't handle him cheating on me left and right. Dylan is so sweet, and…and he kissed me" CeeCee admitted, somewhat wearily at first, but then cheerful after the change of subject.

"Really? Oh, Cee, I'm so happy for you! So…what was it like? He didn't slobber on you did he?" Susannah asked excitedly.

"No he didn't slobber. It was kind of sweet and gentle at first, but then he kind of poured out his emotions with his lips" she giddily recounted.

"Aren't those kisses just the best?" Susannah sighed.

"They really are. And nothing like Adam's kisses. His were always kind of awkward, truth be told. I mean he means well, but he's just so uncoordinated when it comes to kissing. A couple times he actually missed my lips, and kissed my chin" CeeCee giggled.

It was then that I noticed Adam standing next to me, his face completely unreadable.

"Adam, how long have you been there?" I asked quietly, so the girls wouldn't hear us.

"Long enough to hear about my girlfriend kissing some other dude" he mumbled.

"Adam, I-"

"You knew, didn't you? That's what you were trying to get at before you left, huh?" Adam demanded.

"I didn't know the details, but I knew there was someone else" I answered, somberly.

"And you didn't tell me?" he hissed.

"It's not my place. Besides, I figured CeeCee would tell you herself when she was ready to. Not that she owes you much of an explanation, or an apology" I responded hotly.

"Adam I was going to tell you" CeeCee said, appearing in the doorway, "I never meant for you to hear about it this way."

"No, don't worry about it. You, umm…you don't need to say anymore" he replied before turning away and getting into an elevator.

"Should I go after him?" CeeCee asked, tears filling her eyes.

"Cee, let him cool off for a while. You guys can talk after he's had some time to think about what this means for your relationship" Susannah wisely advised CeeCee from the doorway.

"Querida, the doctor said to stay in bed" I reminded Susannah.

"And if I did everything the doctor told me I'd probably be getting molested right now" she countered with a smirk.

"Right, the pedophile" CeeCee said giving Susannah a sly smile.

"I'm not even going to ask," I said. Susannah and CeeCee glanced at each other and smiled.

"I thought you were gonna sneak me something edible" Susannah pouted.

"Oh, I had grabbed a turkey sandwich for you, but umm… me and Adam got into a fight, so I kind of stormed back up here" I mumbled.

"Do you think you guys will be able to work things out?" Susannah questioned.

"I don't know" both CeeCee and me replied.


	22. Chapter 21

:Chapter 21:

"Jesse we have to get me out of here ASAP" Susannah said emerging from the adjourning bathroom.

"Querida, we've gone over this, you can't leave until Dr. Rogers says you can be released" I replied.

"Do you even know what today is?" she asked, climbing into her bed.

"Umm… I'm not sure, Thursday?" I guessed.

"It's Friday. Friday night to be precise" she corrected.

"Nombre de Dios. Is it really?" I questioned.

Susannah simply nodded her head, and gave me look that said 'duh'.

"I'll go ask the nurse for your release forms" I said, quickly exiting the room.

&&&

"You kids these days, always in such a hurry" sighed the nurse as she wheeled Susannah out the front entrance.

"Yeah, well we'd be out of here already if I didn't have to be taken out of here in a wheelchair" huffed Susannah.

"Hospital policy" the nurse stated, helping Susannah up.

"Thanks Leslie" Susannah said happily, and gave her a brief hug.

"Don't mention it, honey" the young nurse replied, before wheeling the wheelchair back into the hospital. "I don't wanna see you back in here for a while, Suze" she called before disappearing amongst the hustle and bustle of hospital visitors and staff.

"Okay, let's get out of here. Where's your car?" Susannah asked.

"Querida I rode with you in the ambulance, my car is back at my cousin's apartment" I answered.

"Then, how are we going to get the ring, and get to Paul?" she questioned.

"Susannah, first I'm taking you home so you can rest, then **I'm** going to get the ring. And tomorrow, we'll deal with Paul" I said, retrieving my cell phone from my pocket. After calling speed dial 7, CeeCee answered; "Yes, Jesse?"

"Hi CeeCee, umm… how are you?" I asked, trying to be super sweet.

"Is Suze out already, or what time should I be there?" she questioned. I could tell she was smiling, just by her smug tone of voice, and somehow I knew Susannah had a hand in this.

"We're in front of the hospital right now" I replied.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," she said, before hanging up. I turned and looked to Susannah to ask if she knew why CeeCee had known when she would be getting out, but I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face. Susannah was sitting down on a stone bench; her black and white stripped purse opened in her lap. She held up a silver compact in one hand, while she applied a light pink lip-gloss. When she noticed I was staring at her, she put down her lip-gloss and gave me a small smile. "I've missed make-up sooo much" she whined.

"I don't know why you use that stuff querida, you really don't need it" I said, taking a seat next to her.

"Jesse, I love you and all, but please never lie to me like that again" she replied with a smile.

"Susannah, I most certainly am not lying to you" I assured her, before taking a cautious look around and then planting a light kiss on her lips. When I pulled away I involuntarily licked my lips and tasted some of the lip-gloss Susannah had been wearing. It tasted really good. A sweet taste, but not over powering; it was nice.

Susannah let out a little giggle and than said "Well I guess Jessica didn't lie; guys do like the taste of it."

I blushed and asked, "Who's Jessica?"

"Jessica Simpson, it's her new make up line, Dessert. Like it?" she questioned.

"HmmMmm" I sighed and gave her another kiss. It was meant to be a brief peck, but it lasted a little longer than expected. We quickly jumped away from one another when a car horn honked right in front of us. "Jeez, could you at least wait 'til you're off hospital property" CeeCee teased.

"Now where's the fun in that" responded Susannah with a sly smile on her face. Her and CeeCee exchanged quick glances and then they both broke out in laughter.

"I think I remember why I thought girls were weird when I was younger" I joked, grabbing Susannah's bag and putting it into CeeCee's trunk. Susannah was getting up from the bench when I noticed she winced in pain.

"Querida, are you alright?" I asked rushing to her side.

"Uhh… yeah, I'm fine… must be cramps or something" she answered nonchalantly. A little too nonchalantly for my taste.

"Susannah, tell me the truth, are you in **any** pain?" I questioned, looking into her eyes. I noticed her normal sparkle wasn't sparkling; pain was evident in her eyes.

She nodded her head and clutched her stomach, then squeaked "Something's not right. It hurts so bad." Tears started streaking down her cheeks and CeeCee jumped out of the car. "Suze, when was the last time you had your period?" she asked hurriedly.

"Three weeks ago" she whispered, "why?"

"And the last time you and Jesse had sex?" CeeCee questioned. I shot her a confused look and asked, rather hotly, "What does that have to do with any of this?"

"Uhh… day before yesterday" Susannah answered weakly, sweat appearing on her forehead.

"Pill, patch, or shot?" CeeCee asked.

Susannah gasped and sent me a startled glance. "Pill" she murmured, "I haven't taken since the day we first did it."

"Your body is trying to fight off the, most likely, fertilized egg, but because you haven't taken the pill in a couple days, it's struggling. You use Ortho Tri Cyclen?" CeeCee questioned, wiping the sweat from Susannah's forehead. (AN: I'm almost positive that this could never happen, but for the sake of the plot, we'll just say it's a freaking mediator thing).

Susannah nodded her head quickly and then cried out in pain, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks.

"Jesse get in the back with Suze, we have to get to my house and fast. I have this pill that might be able to help you" CeeCee instructed. (AN: As a nice reader pointed out to me, this is not and could not be a morning after pill).

"No, don't hurt it" Susannah breathed, her hand finding mine as I settled us both into the back seat.

"Querida, don't worry. Squeeze my hand okay, I'm gonna stay with you until you're all better. Try and take deep breaths" I advised her. "CeeCee, what is she talking about?" I asked quietly so Susannah wouldn't hear me.

"Jesse, the pill I have is gonna make her body expel the egg that's trying to attach itself to the lining of her uterus" CeeCee stated, breaking the speed limit by at least 20 mph.

"And…" I prompted.

"It's basically an induced miscarriage" she finished.

"But you can only have a miscarriage if you're pregnant, and Susannah is definitely not… is she?" I blurted.

"Kind of, but not really. I mean one of her eggs is probably fertilized, but it can't attach itself to the lining of her uterus; so technically she's not pregnant, she's more of an in between. But we have to prevent the egg from sticking to her lining, cause if it does the pill won't do any good, and she'll need an abor-… umm… to see a doctor about her options" CeeCee answered.

As soon as I had heard the word 'fertilized egg', I tried to think back to the year of biology I had taken last year, but my mind was clouded over by thoughts of the pain Susannah must be in, or how on earth I was going to explain this to my parents. "So, inside her, right at this moment, an egg, fertilized by _me_, is trying to cling on to her, so it can grow into a baby?" I asked, trying to make sure I knew what was going on. I looked down at Susannah with a bright gleam in my eye, but then realized how this would affect us… or more specifically, Susannah.

"Jesse" Susannah mumbled, "shift, and get the ring. I'm gonna call Paul."

"Querida, I'm not letting you out of my sight" I protested.

"I'm not the angelic being, Jesse," she said through ragged breaths "it's the baby you saw; it's our baby."


	23. Chapter 22

:Chapter 22:

"Jesse, where were you just now?" CeeCee snapped at me, as I rematerialized into the backseat, the ring box in my pocket.

"Umm…right here, why?" I asked, trying to sound as completely cool and calm as possible in a situation like this.

"I asked you to feel Suze's stomach and see if it was swollen or highly sensitive" she said, sending me a menacing glare in the rearview mirror.

"Oh, okay" I mumbled, gently lifting up Susannah's halter-top. Her stomach looked exactly the same as the last time I had seen it, so I gently touched the tips of two of my fingers on her tummy. "Ow!" she flinched, grabbing hold of my hand again.

"It's really sensitive" I reported back to CeeCee as she turned onto her street.

"Crap… umm… okay, Jesse you take her upstairs to my bathroom and I'm right behind you" CeeCee hurried out before dashing out of the car and opening the front door.

"Querida, I have to rush you upstairs, but just remember to squeeze my hand if you feel any pain" I reminded Susannah as I lifted her into my arms, and then dashed into CeeCee's house, and up the stairs. Susannah desperately gave my hand a tight squeeze and I slowed down a little, so she wouldn't feel as much of the movement.

I'd only ever been inside CeeCee's house two or three times in the almost fifteen years we've known each other, but luckily I'd been upstairs before, and knew where CeeCee's bathroom was located. When I opened the door I thought about the best place to set Susannah down, but she whispered "Jesse, get the ring on me, it's happening."

"What's happening?" I asked in a squeaky voice.

"I can feel it inside of me, it's gonna stick Jesse. This kid's a fighter" she wheezed with a small laugh, but stopped when it hurt.

Gently I set Susannah down on the edge of the bathtub and retrieved the ring box from my pocket. Wanting to seem a least a little orthodox, I got on one knee in front of Susannah and asked, my voice shaking "Querida…Susannah, will you marry me?"

The pain stricken look in Susannah's eyed flickered away for a moment and she happily cheered "Yes!" Without thinking I kissed Susannah and reached for her left hand.

"Where the hell am I?" Paul asked, materializing in at just the right moment. Susannah and I ignored him, and I carefully slid my grandmother's engagement ring onto Susannah's delicate finger. We broke apart to catch our breath, but Susannah's breathing was erratic and she grabbed hold of my hand. Her left hand, now adorned with the engagement ring clutched her stomach tightly, but something wasn't right. And not like any kind of not right, but mediator not right. Susannah's tummy was glowing. A dull light at first, but then it got brighter and brighter. It got so bright that it felt like she was emanating some kind of energy. (AN: I kind of took this from an episode of Smallville; just the glowing stomach thing, but I saw the episode the other day and thought it was perfect for this).

"Suze, what the fuck are you- Awh, crap" Paul snapped as the energy circled him. I had to squint my eyes to see, but I could make out the shape of a cloud of the energy Susannah was releasing. It was literally devouring every inch of Paul, one at a time.

"Suze, quit it. You and me can finally be together! Don't you see, he's just trying to keep us apart! Suze, please! I lo-" Paul shouted over the whirring of the glowing cloud around him. But then he was gone.

"Querida, we did it! Paul's gone for good" I cheered before turning to look at Susannah. But when I saw her, my mouth went dry and my chest began aching. Susannah was lying back in the bathtub, one hand over her stomach, the stones on the ring glimmering in the light and her other hand lying limp at her side. She had a panic-stricken look on her face, and a single tear drifted down her cheek.

"Querida?" I whispered, my voice sounding hoarse.

She didn't answer, but a different kind of glow came out of her. I knew this kind of glow. It was a ghostly glow, and it made my heart stop at that moment. I had to look away, because if I saw Susannah's ghost right now, I feared I'd start crying.

"Jesse" Susannah cooed.

I turned my head back towards mi querida, but I fell back when I saw her glowing form. "Querida, please come back, please don't leave me here. I need you" I begged.

"Jesse" she repeated, "I'm not dead."

"Oh, querida, thank God. Are you all right though? Why aren't you in your body?" I sighed.

"I have a feeling that the two people who can explain all this will be along shortly" she replied, sliding over to sit next to me.

"Susannah…" I mumbled.

"I know, I don't like this either, but we'll fix things. I promise," she said, practically reading my mind.

I smiled at Susannah and asked something that had been nagging me since we were in the car; "Querida, how did you know it was our baby that's the angelic being with an emerald gaze?"

"Okay, this makes sense to me, but I don't know if you'll get it. So, to me, an angelic being would be pure, or without sin. After we made love, I knew I couldn't be the angelic being, and I had been thinking about where an angelic being with an emerald gaze might come from. Well, as soon as I stood up from the bench outside the hospital, I felt a presence, if you will, in my body, and that's when I first thought it might be a baby; our baby. Plus I remembered that you said you saw a beautiful baby with green eyes like mine. So it has my green eyes, plus it's got that whole angelic being thing going on because the baby hasn't been born yet, and therefore doesn't have original sin tainting it" she explained.

I kind of chuckled to myself, and then scooped up Susannah and set her in my lap.

"What's funny?" she asked.

"Well, it's like you just knew that it was our baby, almost like a mother's intuition" I said, tickling her neck with kisses.

"Alright break it up you two" Mrs. de Silva teased, materializing onto the counter. A second later another glimmer started materializing. "Oh, yeah Jesse tagged along this time" Mrs. de Silva added as an older version of me appeared standing next to Mrs. de Silva. At first he eyed me wearily and then huffed "You should be ashamed of yourself, taking away her innocence before being married."

"Jesse, we talked about this," Mrs. de Silva scolded, and then chimed "Now, let's get down to business."

"What exactly do we need to do?" Susannah questioned.

"First we have to get you back in your body. We can't do anything until you're back in there" Mr. de Silva answered, offering mi querida his hand to help her up, off my lap. She got up and then followed Mr. de Silva as he led her back to her body. "Now, hold my hand-"

"Wait! Jesse if she's holding your hand, then something odd could happen. Remember what happened with Angelica, the girl ghosty Father D. just got rid of?" interrupted his wife.

"Of course, once you've heard Father Dominic talking like a little girl, it will never escape your memory" he smiled, stepping back to Mrs. de Silva.

"Alright Suze, hold my hand and we'll both touch your body at the same time, after that you'll feel like your being sucked in to your body, and then you should come right to" Mrs. de Silva informed Susannah, taking her hand and leading her to the bathtub.

"But, why did she leave her body in the first place?" I asked Mr. de Silva as Susannah and Mrs. de Silva got to work on getting mi querida back into her body.

"Her soul probably felt that it couldn't handle the trauma her body was going through. It's like an out of body experience, only she'll remember exactly what happened" he stated, folding his arms over his chest.

"So, did you really wait until you guys were married to have sex?" I asked.

Mr. de Silva sent me a stern look, and then replied, "Of course, I respect Susannah to much to dishonor her."

Mrs. de Silva shot her husband a sharp glare and coughed "liar" before returning her attention to Susannah.

"Querida, what are you talking about? We waited until-"

"Until you slid my engagement ring on my finger. After that we didn't leave your apartment for about a week" Mrs. de Silva interrupted, smiling slyly.

Mr. de Silva blushed, but then huffed what sounded like "tattle tale".

Suddenly I heard Susannah gasping, and she sat up in the bathtub, trying to catch her breath. "Don't worry, that always happens afterward" Mrs. de Silva stated, helping Susannah up.

"Querida, are you okay?" I asked, rushing to her side and grasping her hand.

"Yeah," she said panting, "I just feel…" she trailed off, clutching her stomach.

"Empty?" Mrs. de Silva offered.

"Yeah" Susannah said with a nod.

"Don't worry, you'll feel better after a few more hours. Plus, it's time to decide some things" Mrs. de Silva said, stepping back to stand next to her husband.

"Is this where we have to make that 'life altering decision'?" I asked, sitting on the side of the bathtub.

"Yeah, now you get to decide which universe you want to continue living in" Mrs. de Silva said, a weak smile on her face.

"Wait we have to decide what?" Susannah shouted.

Mr. de Silva answered very politely, "Your options are to stay here in this universe, but start your relationship over. Meaning time would be rewound to the day you two met, and you'd get a fresh start here. But if you choose to go to our original universe, you'll go back to the day when Paul created this universe, only Paul won't exist anymore, so it will be just an ordinary day."

"In other words, your choices are start again here, or morph into us, and live in our inverse" Mrs. de Silva summarized.

"Jesse, what do you think?" Susannah asked, looking up into my eyes expectantly.

"Honestly Querida, I have no idea. I mean it wold be great to start over again, but if we become them, we'll already have our lives set up" I answered.

"We kind of figured you guys might have trouble deciding so Father Dom. figured out a way to give you two a preview of what life would be like in both universes. Both of you will go into each universe, and you'll get two days to live there, after that we'll switch you into the other universe, give you another two days there, and then we'll meet again so you can decide" Mrs. de Silva said.

"And what are you two going to be doing during all of this?" Susannah asked.

"Well, we are going to be in the other universe. First you'll go to our universe and then come back here, only with no Paul. So…" Mrs. de Silva trailed off, looking like she was deep in thought.

"Things will start from the day when Susannah comes to Carmel, to stay permanently, the day she would have met Paul" Mr. de Silva concluded for his wife.

"And what day is it going to be when we arrive in your universe?" I asked.

"The day Paul made this universe. It was Friday night when we found out, I believe" Mr. de Silva stated.

"So wait, you guys are going to be living here as us while we're living in your universe, as you?" Susannah questioned with a puzzled look on her face.

"Pretty much, only you two will think you're really us. So you won't have any memory of any of this. You'll only remember what Jesse and I remembered before Paul made this universe. Oh, and you'll think Paul died, of something normal like a heart attack, not your combined powers" Mrs. de Silva explained.

"Any other questions?" Mr. de Silva asked.

"When do we go?" I asked.

"Right now" Mrs. de Silva replied with a kind smile and a good-bye wave.


	24. Chapter 23

Sorry I took so long to update, but all computers hate me. So technical difficulty is my excuse.

WARNING! M rated chapter.

:Chapter 23:

I was at the front door of my house, the key already in the lock. The day seemed like it had zoomed by, and my memory of patients I had seen was kind of hazy. I did remember that today had been hectic at work though, and I was beat. I turned the key and pushed open the big wooden door. Once inside I dropped my keys into the key dish and took off my coat. A female voice was talking far off, and laughter wafted through the house. I walked towards the voice and found myself standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"I don't know Cee, I mean this is a really big step for us. I don't even know when I'm going to tell him yet," my wife said into the phone. She was standing in front of the stove, stirring something that smelled heavenly. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, and she was wearing pajama bottoms and a tiny tank top. I couldn't help the smile that came across my face as I watched Susannah.

"Well, no. I mean I'm so excited and, I just wanna tell him right this second, but I don't know how to say it right" she replied, tasting what ever she had been stirring.

"CeeCee Web-McTavish, I most certainly am not going to say that to him. I mean, I have to do this right, I can't just be blunt about it like that" she exclaimed.

'_What could see be talking about? Tell whom what?' _Then I wondered if I should let her know I was standing here, listening to her, but I decided I'd instead go back to the front door and act like I was just getting home. Not my usual style, but I kind of liked spying on Susannah. I hadn't done it in so long too. As a ghost I'd followed her just about everywhere. I'd always rationalized that I was just keeping an eye on her, nothing more. When really, I was what people call a stalker.

I tiptoed back to the front door and opened it, then closed it loudly. "Susannah I'm home" I called.

"I'm in the kitchen" she called back sweetly. I walked back towards the kitchen and heard Susannah hanging up the phone before I reached the doorway. "Hey honey" she said, turning her head and smiling brightly as I walked into the kitchen.

"Hey yourself" I said, coming up behind her and kissing her neck. I wrapped my arms around her waist before she turned off the stove and turned around in my arms.

"I missed you today" she pouted, giving me a peck.

"Not nearly as much as I missed you" I responded, kissing her hungrily. God how I missed her, even in just the few hours since we'd last seen each other, I missed the taste of her, her smell, her everything.

"Jesse, dinner's almost ready" she managed to say in between kisses.

"We'll reheat" I replied, lifting her into my arms and carrying her upstairs to our bedroom.

"Hmmm, Jesse" she moaned as I laid her down onto the mattress and climbed on top of her.

"Querida" I panted back, pealing her tank top off of her body.

"Wait, Jesse, wait" she resisted, gently pushing me off her and sitting up. I sent her a confused glance before staring down at her exposed breasts. They were calling to me, begging me for attention.

"Jesse, I'm serious," she said sternly folding her arms across her chest.

"Susannah" I whined, pulling her into my arms and gently nuzzling her neck.

"Jesse, I have to tell you something before we do this" she replied, "something that might make this even better."

I raised my head, intrigued and asked, "And just what could possibly make this any better?"

She smiled, and grabbed hold of my hand. First she just held it, but then she placed my hand over her stomach. I looked up at her face, and her giddy smile made me realize even faster what she was getting at.

"Querida, are you sure?" I questioned excitedly.

We'd been talking about having a baby for almost a year now, but we'd only just started trying a couple months ago.

She grinned back, "Yeah, a doctor confirmed it earlier."

"Susannah, you're going to have a baby?" I asked, jumping up.

"Yeah, we're going to be parents" she answered, her smile even brighter.

I practically pounced on her and couldn't stop kissing her. She giggled as I tickled her neck with soft kisses, "Jesse, are you really happy?"

"Querida, are you kidding me! Before you brought me back to life, I never thought it was possible for me to have children. I'd given up on that dream like so many others, but now, after you've already given me so much, you're giving me the second greatest gift I could ever ask for."

"And what's the first?" she asked.

"Your love" I said kissing her hungrily again. She moaned as I kissed my way down her neck to her chest. Finally she uncrossed her arms and let me shower her supple breasts with the attention they deserved. As she panted, her hands relieved me of my pants, and shirt. "Jesse" she moaned, as I kissed her hardened nipples.

"Querida" I panted back, untying the drawstring on her pajama bottoms. Slowly I eased her pants off and dipped my fingers into her underwear. Her breathing became ragged as she rode the wave of pleasure I was causing her, and all I could do was smile. Smile because I was making her happy, I was pleasuring her. I craved two things in life: to help people, and Susannah; not in that order.

Once Susannah had shuddered in her release, I let her rest a moment before tugging down her panties and removing my boxers. Her fingers gently cradled me, trying to pleasure me as I'd just done for her, but I shooed her hand away. "Tonight is all for you querida" I breathed, easing myself into her. We both shuddered instantly, and then I began sliding in and out, in and out. With each thrust I quickened my speed, delving further and further. I first knew Susannah was ready to climax when she let out a deep moan. Next her finger nails dug into my back, and she spread her legs more. Then she erupted; she screamed in ecstasy and her toes curled. Her muscles tightened around me and then she relaxed, her whole body relaxed, and then I came. I settled next to Susannah on our bed, and pulled her into my arms.

"No matter how many times we've done that, I'm always amazed at how incredible it is," Susannah said once she'd caught her breath.

I held her tighter against me and kissed her forehead, "That's because you're incredible querida."

"No, you're incredible Jesse" she chimed running her fingers over my stomach. I rolled on top of Susannah and kissed her again. "Jesse" she giggled happily, "dinner is gonna get cold, and…suddenly, I'm not feel-". Susannah quickly pushed me off of her and ran towards the bathroom, covering her mouth. I could hear her through the bathroom door, vomiting. I rushed to the door and asked, "Susannah are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's just morning sickness, and of course mine comes at night" she muttered in between vomits.

"Querida, I'm coming in," I said turning the doorknob.

"No, really Jesse, I'm fine" she protested before throwing up again.

"Susannah, I'm coming in" I repeated sternly.

"Jesse, you're not my doctor, I'll be out in a little while" she snapped.

"You're right, I'm your husband, and a doctor. And I refuse to just stand here and listen to you throw up" I countered, opening the door. Susannah barely turned her head to see that I'd come in. She was crouched down beside the toilet, trying to hold her hair back and not get vomit all over the toilet. I squatted down next to her and gathered her hair back with one hand. With my other hand I grabbed her bathrobe from the hook and wrapped it around her naked form.

"Thank you" she breathed, pulling the robe tightly around her.

"Are you cold?" I questioned, touching one of her hands. It was ice cold, as was the rest of her arm. "Querida, you're freezing" I exclaimed sitting next to her and then scooting as close to her as physically possible. I held her tightly against me, rubbing her back reassuringly.

After Susannah felt she couldn't possibly puke anymore, she wiped her mouth and thoroughly brushed her teeth.

"Are you sure you're feeling better? Because you could always stay in bed, I'll bring you dinner, and we can have a sort of picnic on the bed" I said quickly for some reason.

"Jesse, while it's a very sweet gesture, I think I can manage to go downstairs and have dinner with you. Besides I have to reheat the food and-"

"You will do no such thing. If you come downstairs to eat then I'm going to reheat everything and serve us both. I don't want you doing anything you don't absolutely have to" I interrupted.

"Jesse, honey, I'm pregnant, not suffering from some horribly debilitating disease" she teased, walking back into our bedroom. She tossed me my boxers and undershirt before gathering up her own clothes and getting dressed.

"Querida, I know you're not but I just want to be extra careful. It's not just you, you're going to have to look out for now. And with you dealing with ghosts in a mostly physical way, I want to watch out for you and our baby" I said, after pulling on my boxers and walking into our bedroom. I walked behind her, before she could pull on her tank top, and kissed her neck and shoulder. She let out a content sigh, and I moved my hands towards her chest. Gently I fondled her, as she moaned and enjoyed. After I tried to turn her around, she grabbed a hold of my hands and sighed "As great as that is, we have to eat before my sauce turns all funky."

"Susannah" I whined gently.

"I'll make you a deal" she replied, "if we go eat now, and you help me clean up, we can rush back up here and you can finish what you started." To emphasize her point she pressed her backside against my groin and swayed her hips teasingly. I shivered in delight and smiled before answering "Deal." I added a hushed "tease" afterward, but Susannah just smiled. "You haven't experienced me as a tease yet" she joked, walking out of our bedroom door and then down stairs.

"Jesse, I can pick up my own plate" Susannah protested as I cleared the table.

"I know you can, but normally I just sit there and let you clean up, which is not very nice I realize" I pondered aloud.

"Yeah, but you normally unload the dishwasher for me and put all our plates and utensils back" Susannah defended.

"Well, tonight I'm going to do all that. All you have to do querida, is sit there and look beautiful" I said.

She sent me an amused glance and smiled as I loaded the dishwasher.

"You're doing a wonderful job might I say" I chuckled.

"Hey Jesse" Susannah cooed, coming up behind me, and wrapping her arms around me.

"Yes querida" I replied, lifting one of her hands and kissing it.

"I think I'm ready to go upstairs now" she said, her hands moving down my stomach to my lower region. I smiled and hurriedly put in the last dishes before turning on the dishwasher and grabbing hold of Susannah's hand.

"On second thought" she began, "I've kind of always wanted to have sex in a kitchen."

"Querida" I squeaked. "Wait, did you watch 'Father of the Bride Two' today?"

"Maybe" she chimed, giving me an innocent stare, but a naughty smile. How she could do that, baffled me, but at the same time I found it incredibly sexy.

"Oh come on Jesse, be a little adventurous" she teased, tugging at my boxers. I backed Susannah towards the counter and then lifted her up. I opened her legs and kissed her hungrily as I untied the string on her pajama bottoms. She wrapped her legs around me, pushing me against her even more.

Somehow we'd ended up in the living room, lying down in front of the fireplace, on a wool blanket. As the glow of the flames caressed Susannah I gently drew little squiggles on her arm with my finger.

"Jesse", she sighed, tilting her face up to stare into my eyes. "What do you think about Lilliana?"

"I don't know who Lilliana is querida" I answered.

"I mean the name Lilliana. Do you like it?" she rephrased.

"I think it's a beautiful name" I replied nuzzling her neck.

"I like it too. But, what if it's boy?" she asked.

"I've always liked the name Milton" I joked.

"I realize you are an Office Space fanatic, but please tell me you aren't serious," Susannah said.

I chuckled, and replied "I'm only joking querida, but I have always liked the name Nicholas."

"Nicholas" she said, almost trying it out. "I like it" she smiled.

"So Lilliana if it's a girl, and Nicholas if it's a boy" I summed up.

"Yep" she purred, inching her lips towards mine.

And then the doorbell rang. We paused for a moment, and just stared at each, almost mentally asking each other whether or not we should get the door. Then the phone rang, few times and Adam's voice came through the answering machine. "Hey de Silvas, I know you're home. Open the door, or I'm using the spare key. Plus, CeeCee has to use your bathroom" he mumbled.

I quickly went over to the phone and picked it up. "We'll be right down" I grumbled before hanging the phone back up. I turned back to Susannah and offered her my hand to lift her up. She got up and then I rushed up the back stairs through the kitchen. Susannah grabbed our discarded clothes before rushing up behind me.

Once we were safely in our bedroom Susannah pulled on some sweat pants and a little t-shirt, then dug out some jeans and a t-shirt for me to wear. "Querida, I can get my own clothes" I whined, after having put on my boxers and a clean undershirt. "I know you can, but you take too long to coordinate" she chimed before sticking her tongue out at me and then bouncing out the door and back downstairs.

By the time I got downstairs CeeCee had already used the restroom and was chatting in hushed tones with Susannah, while Adam was helping himself to a beer. When he noticed me coming down the stairs he grabbed a second beer and handed it to me. "Thanks" I nodded, before going over and greeting CeeCee, Adam following behind me.

"Hey Jesse, or should I say dad-to-be" CeeCee teased, nudging my side. I sent her a baffled glance before realization set in and I turned towards Susannah.

"Honey don't get mad. CeeCee went with me to the doctor's office this morning" she said in a soothing yet defensive tone.

"Dad? Suze, are you pregnant?" Adam asked me and then Susannah.

"Excuse us, but I have to talk to my wife in private for a moment" I said through gritted teeth, leading Susannah into the other room and ignoring Adam.

"What's wrong?" Susannah asked, concern flooding her voice, and her hand gently squeezing my arm.

"You took CeeCee with you" I mumbled, hurt lacing my tone.

"Jesse" Susannah cooed, wrapping her arms around me and resting her head against my chest. "I took CeeCee with me because if it turned out that I wasn't pregnant, I didn't want to get your hopes up only to crush them."

My anger disappeared and I felt the corners of my mouth turn upward in a small smile. "Susannah" I whispered, smoothing back her hair, and planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head, "You don't have to worry about that. I wanted to be there."

"I'm sorry" she choked out before letting out a quiet sob.

"Querida, don't cry" I said rubbing her back reassuringly.

"I'm sorry" she repeated with another sob, "I think my hormones are just going out of control."

I chuckled and held her closer against me, "Querida you have nothing to be sorry about, just don't cry. I hate to see you crying."

"But I denied you a moment of happiness that I know you wanted" she mumbled wiping her eyes.

"Susannah, when you told me you're pregnant, you gave me that moment" I replied, lifting her face from my chest and gently kissing her lips. "Plus it didn't hurt that you were topless" I teased. Susannah gave me an annoyed punch on the arm, but smiled.

"You guys okay?" CeeCee asked, from the other room.

I looked at Susannah, mentally asking her if she was okay, and if we were okay. She gave me a happy smile and called back "Yeah, we'll be there in a sec."


	25. Chapter 24

:Chapter 24:

"Not to be mean, but I'm kind of glad they finally left" Susannah said after Adam and CeeCee drove off.

"I know, what you mean. For a little while I thought they were going to stay in the guest room again" I replied, wrapping an arm around Susannah's waist and leading her towards the stairs.

Susannah yawned and leaned her head against my shoulder.

"It's late querida, why don't I put you to bed, and then clean up down here" I suggested, gently kissing the top of her head.

"No, we'll both go up after cleaning" she countered, "nice try though."

"Susannah you need your rest, and it's not that much of mess. I'll be up in twenty minutes" I offered.

"But if I help, we'll both go up in ten minutes" she replied with a smile.

I couldn't help but chuckle and pull her closer. "I love you querida" I said with a smile.

She smiled back and gave me a gentle peck. "I love you too. Now let's clean up, cause I wanna go to bed."

"How much bigger do boobs normally get during pregnancy?" Susannah asked poking her head through the bathroom doorway. She had her toothbrush sticking out of her mouth, and toothpaste all around her lips.

"I don't know querida" I answered with a laugh, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I wanna prepare myself for the added cleavage and I was just wondering how much I was gonna get only to have them taken away" she replied before disappearing behind the wall and spitting out her toothpaste.

"Susannah, you have perfect breasts, trust me" I said with a grin as she sauntered back into our bedroom.

"You're just saying that cause you're married to me and stuck with my boobs" she sighed, flopping onto the bed.

"Querida," I sighed back, "I happen to love your breasts, and not just because I'm married to you."

"Yeah, but I bet you wouldn't mind it if I had bigger ones" she countered scooting close to me. "And stop calling them breasts, that's so doctor-ly. They're boobs."

I gave a frustrated sigh and then laid back, next to Susannah. "Susannah, I love your breasts just the way they are," I said, putting an emphasis on breasts.

"Seriously, boobs. But if-" she began.

I silenced her by putting a finger to her lips and then trailing that finger down her face, her neck and to her chest. I stopped at her tank top and leaned in close to her ear. "Querida I love you the way you are, and I especially love your boobs" I reassured her, gently running my finger over her nipple.

She nodded her head and gave me a smile. Her eyes urged me to go on, but I decided to tease Susannah a little, so I laid back and folded my hands over my stomach.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked turning onto her side and staring at me baffled.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Two can play at that game" she murmured standing up and pulling off her tank top, then sliding off her pajama bottoms and bikini underwear. She let me stare for a moment, but then lifted up the covers, hopped into bed and draped the covers over herself. "Night honey" she chimed giving me a lingering kiss.

I wanted to continue the kiss, but she pulled away and turned onto her side, her back facing me. I had to blink a few times to make sure what had just happened, had really happened. I looked over at Susannah, telling myself to be strong, but I couldn't resist her. She's always been my weakness, Susannah. I can just never say no to her. All she has to do is pout her full lips and bat her eyelashes, and I'm done for.

Carefully I crawled under the covers, and then paused a few seconds before scooting as close as possible to Susannah.

"Jesse" she mumbled in a warning tone.

"Hmmm" I replied, trailing light kisses along her neck and shoulder.

"Jesse" she repeated in a softer tone.

"Querida" I breathed, leaning over her and lightly kissing her cheek, and temple.

She let out an exasperated huff and then turned onto her back. "You do that again and me and my boobs are off limits for a week" she threatened staring straight into my eyes.

A smile crept onto my face and I brought my lips down onto her's. "Never again" I said against her lips before kissing her and moving my hand toward her breasts.

"We have sex an awful lot, don't we?" Susannah asked, lifting her head from my bare chest.

"We have a healthy sexual appetite" I answered planting a kiss on the top of her head.

She smiled and shook her head before resting it against my chest again. "Yeah, but just today we did it, what, five times?"

"Six", I corrected her. "Once when I first got home, twice in the kitchen, once in the living room, and twice just right now."

"Wow" she said snuggling closer to me.

"Yeah" I agreed, "but it's not like everyday is like this. Normally we restrain ourselves to what, once or twice?"

"More like two or three times, it seems like once is never enough for us" she said running her fingers over my chest and stomach. A sly smile crept onto my face and I pulled her closer to me. "Querida, are you happy that you're pregnant?" I asked. A second later I wondered why I had asked that question, but subconsciously I had been thinking of asking Susannah that for a while.

She lifted her head from my chest and gazed directly into my eyes. For a moment she just remained silent, but continued staring at me. Her eyes swirled and I could tell she trying to organize an answer. Finally she replied "At first I was freaked out, but after I thought about it, I knew that we were ready. Plus CeeCee was really supportive and she really reassured me that I wouldn't screw up and be a horrible mother."

"Susannah" I scolded, "how could you even think you'd be a horrible mother?"

"Uhh, because I have no maternal instincts whatsoever" she answered.

"Querida, every woman feels that way at first. My father told me how even through my mother's last pregnancy she was still concerned about being a good mother, and how all we, as men, could do was comfort her and reassure her of the fact that she was a wonderful mother."

"Yeah, but your mom probably had natural maternal instincts. Me, I gag at even the smell of stinky trash. Can you imagine me changing diapers? And what about all that other stuff like mother's intuition? I don't have that. So, please explain to me how on earth I'm going to be this great super mom" she explained, blinking her eyes, apparently trying to hold back tears.

"Susannah" I cooed, smoothing her hair, "when you hold our baby for the first time, you'll feel it. I overheard my sister Josefina talking to my other sister Marta and she said that when she held her baby it was like she felt protective and responsible. She said that's when she received her maternal instincts."

"But Jesse-" she started.

"Susannah" I interrupted, before giving her a deep kiss. "It's after 4 o'clock and I know you're just as, if not even more tired than I am. So could we please just relax and go to sleep."

"How do you do that?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Do what?" I questioned.

"Know exactly what time it is and not even glance at the clock. Plus know exactly how to shut me up" she answered with a smirk.

I closed my eyes and grinned while I replied "I'm a doctor, I always know what time it is. And I just borrowed your kiss and shut up technique. I figured since it always works on me, I should be able to use too."

"That's supposed to be my secret technique, you can't steal that from me" she mumbled settling her head back against my chest.

I tightened my hold of her and kissed her forehead. "Go to sleep querida, we both need to rest up. Especially if we intend to keep up our six times a day weekend schedule" I whispered, caressing her arm. I could feel her smile against my skin and she purred "Ok, love you." She lightly brushed her lips on my chest while her fingers danced across my stomach.

I smiled and breathed "Sweet dreams querida. I love you." "And you too" I added placing my palm over her stomach.


	26. Chapter 25

:Chapter 25:

I peeked open my eyes, and had to shut them again. The sunlight streaming in through the sheer curtains was blinding. Slowly I reopened my eyes, and looked down at the head of chestnut hair that lay against my chest. I've noticed that every time I wake up and see Susannah beside me, or laying near me, I can't help but smile to myself and acknowledge that I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

Carefully I tucked a few stray locks of Susannah's hair behind her ear, and kissed the top of her head. She stirred, scrunching her face before carefully lifting an eyelid. She spotted me looking at her contently, and a smile appeared on her face.

"How long have you been up?" she yawned, opening her other eye. I pulled her closer to me, and sighed "Just a few minutes."

"Why didn't you wake me?" she asked, raking her fingers through my hair.

"You looked so peaceful; I didn't want to disturb you" I replied, nuzzling my face against her outstretched arm.

"I don't want to get out of bed today. Can we just stay here all day and enjoy ourselves," she whispered seductively, running a finger over my abdomen. I shivered and kissed her cheek, gently, then trailed small kisses all over her face before gently pecking her lips.

"Hey Jesse" Susannah beamed, "I changed my mind. I think I'm just a tad bit hungry. And you know what? Your delicious huevos racheros sound heavenly."

I must have let out a little grumble, because Susannah gave me a sympathetic kiss before squeezing my arm and smiling "You don't have to get up and make them just yet."

"Oh really?" I asked sarcastically, "And when does her highness want her huevos rancheros done by?"

Susannah stuck out her tongue at me but replied "After I'm done with you." Then she basically jumped me; "querida" I groaned as she reached her hand into my boxers. "Relax Jesse. I'm only getting started."

The beeping of my cell phone broke the comfortable silence between Susannah and me. We'd just collapsed onto the mattress for about the second time, and the beeping was getting annoying.

I looked at Susannah who just let out an exasperated sigh before reaching over me and answering my cell phone. "Hello" she said, feigning pleasantness.

"He's in the shower, can I just have him call you when he gets out?" she replied to whatever the person on the other line had said.

"Yes, I understand, but that isn't even his department, can't you get someone else to come in?" she asked, her voice changing in tone from polite to annoyed.

"Can I talk to your supervisor?" Susannah questioned sternly.

I quickly tried to take the phone from her but she grabbed my hand and wouldn't let go. With my other hand I tried, but she let go of the hand she was holding and reached between my legs. "Jesse, don't make me do something we'll both regret" she whispered, her grip tightening. I must have let out a whimper because Susannah sent me an apologetic look, before turning away and listening intently.

"Yeah, hi Dan, it's Suze. Oh no, I'm fine. Yeah, everything is great. How are Sarah and the kids?" she asked politely. "Oh, no, nothing really, it's just that I was assured Jesse would have weekends off. With his promotion to head of the pediatrics department, doesn't that limit some of the hours he can work? Besides it isn't even his department."

"Listen Dan, I just found out I'm pregnant-" Susannah sighed, sounding like she hadn't wanted to mention her pregnancy.

"Thank you. Oh just a few weeks, but we just found out and I'd like to spend some time with my husband. Now if you really want to get Jesse to come in today, I'm just warning you that I may let this slip to Sarah. And you know how much she hates it when they call in people to help out in a department they don't even work in" she stated with fake sweetness.

"Great, you'll see Jesse Monday morning at eight. Thanks Dan, oh and give Sarah and the kids my best."

"Umm hmm, buh-bye" she replied before hanging up and handing me back my phone.

"How do you do that?" I asked, noticing my voice was higher by about an octave. Susannah noticed too, and released her death grip on me.

"Sorry, but you weren't cooperating" she replied, "and as for Dan, I've known his wife since you guys were in med. school together. He's a real pushover when anything about Sarah getting mad at him comes around."

"But Susannah, Dan is my supervisor too, how could you just talk to him like that?" I asked completely astonished.

"Jesse, he's not my supervisor. Besides his wife talks practically nonstop about him. I probably know more about that guy than you do" she answered. I smiled, despite the fact that I was still in pain, and pulled Susannah into my arms.

"Still hurting?" she asked after about a minute.

"No" I replied defensively. "Jesse" she sighed with a slight smile on her face. "Okay, yes, but just a little" I admitted. "Well, I think I know a way to fix that" she said with a mischievous smile, before ducking under the covers. "Ohhhh, querida" I moaned as her lips made contact.

"Hmmm" Susannah breathed as she hungrily dug into her plate of huevos rancheros.

Just then our phone started ringing and I got up mumbling "Five minutes, can't we just have five minutes without someone calling." Slowly I picked up the phone and answered "Hello" with fake enthusiasm.

"Dude where are you guys!" Adam asked nervously.

"Uhh, at home. Why?" I replied awkwardly.

"You guys are supposed to be here at the mission. Father Dominic is freaking out that you guys aren't here yet" he explained.

"What's going on at the mission?" I questioned, trying to remember about any sort of event Susannah and I are supposed to help out at.

"It's the Junipero Serra festival. You and me are supposed to be manning the booth with all the booze, and CeeCee and Suze are supposed to run the kissing booth. You guys were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago," he said in an eager voice.

"Nombre de Dios" I sighed running my hand through my hair. "Has it started already, or are you guys just setting up?"

"No, we're just setting up, but I've been covering for you and Suze with Father D ever since we got here" Adam replied, "How fast can you guys get here?"

"Uhh, we can be there in twenty minutes. Do you think you can handle Father Dominic for that long?" I asked hurriedly, noticing Susannah had stopped eating and was by my side with a questioning look on her face.

"Umm, yeah, I think so. Do you want me to make something up, or do you guys wanna tell Father D something when you get here?" Adam questioned.

"We'll come up with something, and Adam, thanks" I sighed.

"Don't mention it man, you'd do the same for me. See ya in a few" he said before hanging up.

Quickly I put down the phone and grabbed Susannah by the hand, pulling her behind me up the stairs. "Jesse, what's going on?" she asked urgently.

"Querida, we were supposed to be at the Junipero Serra festival half an hour ago to help set up. Adam and CeeCee have been covering for us, and we have to get there before Father Dominic gives himself a heart attack" I answered, pulling Susannah into our bedroom and quickly helping her out of her sweats, before ridding myself of my pajama bottoms and t-shirt.

"Jesse" she said in a soothing tone, "you're freaking out. Relax. We'll get there when we get there."

"Susannah, you know I don't like being late, and Father Dominic was depending on us to be there" I answered, grabbing a pair of jeans from my side of the closet.

"Yeah, but it's just a festival Jesse, it's not like it's the end of the world. Now relax, and wear one of your button down shirts, you know Father D doesn't like regular t-shirts, he thinks they're too sloppy" she replied, carefully selecting an outfit from her side of our walk-in closet.

"Now, what are we supposed to do at the festival anyway? Cause if I have to serve old guys some food I can't even pronounce again, Father D is gonna get an earful" Susannah said a few minutes later, doing the straps on her sandals.

"No, you're going to be with CeeCee at some booth. I can't remember which one Adam told me, but I don't think you're working one of the food booths" I answered, looking for a belt.

When I finally grabbed one Susannah calmly said "Not that one" from the other room. "Querida, you haven't even seen the belt" I defended, poking my head into our bedroom.

"I know I haven't, but I know you grabbed that funky brown leather one that you happen to think goes with everything" she said turning to face me from her vanity, a smug smile on her face. I quickly put down the 'funky brown belt' and grabbed my other black one.

"Not that one either. Wear the new black one I just got you" she called, going back to applying her make up. I turned back and looked where my other belts were. "Querida, where-?"

"Next to your other belts, behind the tie you're touching" she answered.

I hadn't even noticed I was touching a tie, but sure enough, when I pushed back the tie, I saw the new black belt Susannah had brought home for me on Tuesday. "How do you do-"

"Magic" Susannah interrupted again, appearing in the closet doorway, all ready to go. She had another smug smile on her face, and looked at her watch before saying, "Hey, it only took us fifteen minutes to get completely dressed and ready."

"Good, now we have five minutes to get there" I said gently pecking Susannah's lips and grabbing my wallet. We headed down stairs and grabbed our keys before rushing through the door and getting into the car.

"I told you we shouldn't have pulled over" I whispered to Susannah as we approached the mission. She held my hand loosely, and wore a giddy grin on her face, much like my own grin. Even though we were running even later than we said we would be, I couldn't exactly be mad at Susannah.

"Oh fine then, next time you're in the mood when we're out, you're just gonna have to wait" she replied, while straightening out her skirt.

"Querida, we weren't out, we were driving down the highway" I corrected. Susannah pretended not to hear me and gave me a once over before pulling me into one of the empty breezeways and zipping up my fly. "What would you do without me?" she sighed contently.

"You mean besides be on time to the festival? Well, I'd probably be having a lot less sex, too, but other than that…I have no idea" I joked. Susannah mock punched my arm before grabbing hold of my hand again and leading me towards the festival.

"Where have you two been!" Father Dominic exclaimed when he spotted us walking towards the festival and rushed over.

"Uhh" I said trying to think of an excuse. "Sorry Father D it was my fault, really. It's just morning sickness really takes it out of you and Jesse didn't wanna wake me up this morning, and I just really messed up our schedule. Sorry" Susannah said.

"Morning sickness? Susannah does that mean, what I think it means?" he asked, his face completely unreadable.

Susannah's face lit up and she happily nodded her head, squeezing my hand. I noticed my face had brightened up as well, and I had a goofy smile on my face.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I never thought I'd live to see the day" Father Dominic exclaimed before pulling Susannah into his arms and sending me a happy smile. "Congratulations" he said after releasing Susannah and giving me a brief hug.

"Thanks Father D" Susannah cheered, "Now, what booths are we at?"

He looked down onto a clipboard and scanned the paper for our names. "Susannah you're at the kissing booth with CeeCee, and Jesse-"

"Kissing booth?" I asked, "Father, the mission has never had a kissing booth before."

"I am aware of that, but some of the students thought it would be a good idea, plus it costs twice as many tickets as anything else. Susannah and CeeCee are going to take the first shift. Now Jesse-"

I interrupted him for the second time, my teeth slightly clenched, "But Father, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this. I mean Susannah-"

"Honey, it's fine. Don't worry okay. I'm going to go find Cee and finish helping set up," she said in her soothing voice. "Come find me after your shift is over. I love you" she reassured me before pecking my lips and rushing off into the crowd of volunteers.

"Jesse, I know you may not be comfortable about this, but Susannah is a big girl, she'll be fine. Besides we specifically chose her and CeeCee to take the first shift because we knew they wouldn't stand for any foul or inappropriate behavior. Now, you need to go help Adam set up the booth with the alcoholic beverages. And remember if the person looks even a day less than thirty, you must check their ID. I don't want any under-aged drinking here" he instructed me, before patting my shoulder and heading off towards the mission. With a slight grumble I headed into the crowd in search of Adam and our booth.

"Hey man, our shift just ended, let's go find the girls" Adam said, pouring his last beer and handing it to a man who looked to be in his early to mid fifties. I nodded before handing a woman her wine cooler, and following Adam out of the booth.

"You've been kind of quiet ever since you got here, something bothering you?" he asked as we tried to make our way through a large crowd of teenagers.

"It's just…did you mind when they told you CeeCee was going to be running the kissing booth?" I asked.

"At first, but I talked to Cee about it and she made it real clear that I was the only guy she really wanted to be kissing" he replied with a smirk, "besides I trust her. Don't you?"

"Trust CeeCee?" I asked, "I guess."

"Not Cee, Suze. Don't you trust her?" he questioned pausing right in the middle of a crowd.

"Of course I trust her, she's my wife. It's the people that are paying to kiss her I don't trust" I answered truthfully.

That's when I noticed we had stopped right in front of the kissing booth. I looked into the booth, but a curtain separated the kissing area from the ticket buying area, so I couldn't see anything except a long line of guys holding money in their hands and smiling. The ticket seller, a young girl wearing all black, and that had more piercings and tattoos than I could count, gave an annoyed sigh and stood up before announcing "Guys you can't come more than twice in the shift. And you're not allowed to ask for a specific person!"

Adam and I gave each other questioning looks before shoving our way to the front of the line and taking out four dollars each. "Hey man, we were here first!" a few of the guys behind us shouted, "Yeah, wait your turn!"

We turned around and glared at the guys who had yelled and said through gritted teeth, "Those are our wives. Do you really wanna start something with us about them?" The guys looked at each other nervously before mumbling "No, we're good."

We handed our money to the ticket girl and said, "I know we're not supposed to ask for a specific person, but those are our wives in there and we really want to surprise them."

The teenage girl looked us over as she handed us our tickets and said "Alright, but only cause you look hot enough to be married to them. Suze is in the first room, and Cee is in the one right next to it. But, you have to wait until the guys they're with leave."

"How long have they been in there?" Adam asked sending me an angry look.

"I don't know, a couple minutes maybe" she said looking bored.

"Well, how long do they get?" I questioned gruffly.

"However long Suze and Cee let them stay in there. It's up to them" she answered glancing at her fingernails, which were painted black and shined in the late afternoon sunlight, as did her many piercings.

"Keisha, we wanna take off, do you want us wait for our replacements, or can you handle the guys?" Susannah called through the curtain.

"Uhh, do you guys think you can take two more before you go?" the girl, apparently named Keisha called back.

"Urgh, fine but if they try and get too friendly we're kicking them out just like those last guys" CeeCee yelled, "Unless of course it's Matt coming to visit Suze again."

"Shut up! That poor kid is like ten" Susannah defended, "besides, he's kind of cute." Adam sent me a worried glance before we made our way back through the curtains.

Susannah didn't even glance up when I came in, just started an apparently well rehearsed speech, "Alright sit on the stool. Now, no touching if you don't wanna loose any fingers, and if you even think of sticking your tongue in my mouth I'll break your nose."

I couldn't help the burble of laughter that escaped my lips, and calmly went and sat down on the stool as I was told to do so.

"Seriously dude, don't even think I won't hurt you" she said, before finally turning around and facing me. However Susannah was rummaging through her purse, and when she finally did look up she dropped it. I reached down and retrieved her purse for her before mumbling "Hi." She sent me a giddy smile before taking her purse and setting it down on the small table behind her. "Hi yourself" she giggled.

"So, is this the part where I get to kiss you?" I asked, unable to hide my grin.

"Depends" Susannah sighed. "On what?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"If you paid Keisha the four bucks it costs to get to kiss me" she grinned caressing my cheek with her hand. I placed my hand over her's and fingered her wedding ring delicately "I paid" I stated leaning towards her and capturing her lips with my own. The kiss was brief and gentle, nothing too heated seeing as how we were at the mission.

I brandished the ticket Keisha had given me and Susannah tucked it into a small box beside her with a smile. "I missed you" Susannah cooed, pouting her lips. "I missed you too" I replied, "but I hear a young man kept you company. Matt, I think his name was." Susannah smiled an innocent smile and laughed. "Jesse, Matt is like ten years old. Although he is quite cute, and if I were you, I'd watch for him. He's a real tough guy."

I sent Susannah a skeptical glance and said "Oh really? Am I going to have to warn him that you're mine, and that he has to stay away from you?" I joked.

"I don't know, I may like him better" she teased, "you know he was looking real hot in his kids GAP jeans and kids Ralph Lauren polo."

"Really" I chuckled, "better looking than you think your husband is?"

"Jesse" Susannah sighed scooting her stool closer to mine, "that's not possible." I smiled at her and pulled her into my lap before kissing her again.

"Alright you two break it up" Adam joked as he and CeeCee burst through the curtain into Susannah's small room. We quickly broke apart and Susannah jumped down from my lap as I grabbed her purse and handed it to her.

"Yeah we know it's tempting, but at least wait till you're back in your own car" CeeCee said, suggestively wiggling her eyebrows.

Adam sent me baffled glance while CeeCee and Susannah laughed amongst themselves before taking each other's arms and walking out through the curtain. I could feel heat on my cheeks and tried desperately to stop blushing as I followed Adam out of the booth.

"The car? What are you, sixteen?" Adam teased, "You know that's how people our age break hips." I chuckled and replied "I know, but it seems that pregnancy is making Susannah's hormones and desires go wild."

"Really?" Adam asked, "Cause Cee has been acting kind of weird too. I mean last night before went stopped by you guys' house, we went to her parent's house for dinner, and after dessert we crept up to her old room, I was thinking we'd fool around a little, but she wanted the whole deal, and she's never normally like that."

"Well, I can't speak for CeeCee, but Susannah is driving me crazy. Every time she's near me it's like I can hear her thoughts, and they all entail us doing very inappropriate things" I answered.

"Dude, I don't think its Suze's thoughts you're hearing" Adam said nudging my side. I laughed and replied, "You know what? Maybe."

Just then we reached one of the food booths and noticed that Susannah and CeeCee were already picking at a plate of food.

"I still can't believe you haven't told him" Susannah was saying, "he's gonna find out sooner or later."

"Yeah, you're probably gonna let it slip" CeeCee half-whined, half-giggled.

"When have I ever let something slip?" Susannah asked with fake astonishment.

"When you told Adam I'd already bought a prom dress when he hadn't even asked me yet, when you joked about how cliché it was that we'd lost our virginity on prom night when I'd promised not to tell anyone. Oh and of course your latest slip, when you told Adam he might as well propose cause I'd already put a wedding dress on layaway at the same store you bought your dress. That's when you've ever let something slip" CeeCee replied knowingly.

"Jeez, what are you, the memory keeper?" Susannah sighed teasingly. They both laughed until a young boy in a polo and jeans went over to their table.

"Hey Suze" he beamed. "Oh, hey Matt" she replied sending him a warm smile.

"I went to go see you at your booth but Keisha said that you had already left with some guy" he said nervously scooting closer to Susannah.

"Yeah, my husband, Jesse. He's around here somewhere" she responded looking around a little. Luckily she didn't spot me and Adam standing over by one of the food booths.

"Oh, right, _Jesse_. Why isn't he here, with you? I mean, if I was married to you I'd go with you everywhere" he sighed, almost dreamily.

Susannah smiled awkwardly finally noticing how close Matt had gotten to her and tried to scoot closer to CeeCee. "Uhh, Jesse's around here somewhere. He and Adam probably just stopped at one of the booths to get something to eat," she said, sending CeeCee a pleading glance.

"Well, do you think maybe I could take you to a movie or something, sometime?" he asked placing his hand over Susannah's.

"Can you believe that kid?" Adam asked sounding genuinely shocked.

"No. I mean he knows she's married and still he asks her to the 'movies or something'. Should I go over there?" I questioned anxiously.

"And do what, punch the kid? Nah man, wait it out. Once he leaves we'll go over. Do you wanna get something to eat while we wait?"

"No, I'm going to keep watching, you can go if you want though" I said distractedly.

"No, it's probably best if we don't separate. But seriously, we're right in front of the Mexican food booth, and you can honestly tell me you don't want any?" Adam prodded.

"Yes, I'm not really hungry right now" I answered in hopes that he'd stop talking so I could hear.

"Maybe not hungry for food" he teased, "I see that look in your eyes." I shot him an agitated look before turning my attention back to the little kid hitting on my wife.

"Matt, while the offer is really sweet, I'm gonna have to say no. I mean, you're a great kid and all, but I'm kind of old for you, don't you think?" Susannah pointed out.

"Suze, age is nothing but a number. Besides, I think I love you" he stated.

My eyes must have bulged out or something to indicate that I was angry and surprised because Adam was tugging at my arm and murmuring something about Mexican food again. But I stood stick straight and just held up a finger to silence him.

Susannah coughed for a while before finally being able to reply. "Umm, **_wow_**. Listen Matt, I'm flattered, really, but I'm very happily married. Besides, somewhere out there is a great girl who you are gonna make so happy one day. Trust me" she added with a smile.

"But Suze" he whined, "I wanna make **you** happy."

"Matt, sweetie, you're kind of young to be thinking about making anyone, except maybe your parents, happy. Right know you need to concentrate on school, okay?" Susannah said.

"If I concentrate on school, will you be my girlfriend afterward, when I'm old enough?" he pressed on.

Susannah sent him a patient smile and answered, "Well, no, but I'm sure you'll find someone even better to be your girlfriend." Matt seemed crushed by this, if his actions were any indication, because he launched himself into Susannah's arms and seemed to be crying.

For her part Susannah handled the situation very calmly, patting his back and whispering that everything would be all right. When he'd finally stopped sobbing he hugged Susannah and thanked her for being so nice to him. She in turn gave him a sweet peck on the cheek before ruffling his hair and sending him off to play with his friends.

"Oh my goodness" Susannah said to CeeCee after a few seconds.

"I told you there was something up with that kid" CeeCee replied very matter of factly; "no kid looks at someone like that unless they've got sugar."

"And what do I look like, the sugar fairy?" Susannah asked.

"No, that kid was after another kind of goodie."

"Ewhh" Susannah whined, "That's just wrong. He's too little to even be thinking about stuff like that." That's when Adam and I decided to join the girls, and we swooped in very casually.

"Well, the wanderers returnth" CeeCee teased.

"Really, where did you two sneak off to?" Susannah asked.

"Nowhere" we said taking the seats across from Susannah and CeeCee, "we were gonna get some food but the lines around here are ridiculous." "Thanks for waiting for us by the way" Adam added sarcastically.

"Hey we were hungry" Susannah whined, "besides I didn't even get to finish my breakfast. And remember we're both eating for two now." Susannah gasped and whispered back to CeeCee "Sorry." CeeCee promptly smacked Susannah's arm and mumbled "And now this I can add to the list."

"Eating for two?" Adam laughed, "No, that's just how much CeeCee always eats."

Susannah laughed nervously before standing up and reaching for my hand. "Well, this has been loads of fun, but I just remembered me and Jesse have dinner reservations" she said before waving goodbye and leading me away from the food booth and towards the parking lot. "Querida, it's only 4:30, where are we eating, Sizzler?" I turned and asked Susannah once we were out of earshot.

"Nope, we don't have reservations" she answered as we reached our car.

"But then why did you say we do?" I questioned as I held the passenger side door open for her.

"Because I let it slip about the whole eating for two thing, and CeeCee has to tell Adam that she's pregnant now, otherwise he'll put two and two together" she explained sliding into the passenger seat.

I went around and hopped into the driver's seat, not starting the car and asked, "That's why you took CeeCee with you, huh?"

Susannah smiled wistfully for a moment before turning to me and answering "Yeah. I was already pretty sure, but CeeCee was just starting to think she might be. So I dragged her with me."

"You already thought you were pregnant, and you didn't tell me?" I questioned feeling kind of hurt.

"Jesse, I told you, I didn't wanna get your hopes up in case it turned out I wasn't. Pregnant, I mean." I reached over and took one of Susannah's hands in my own. I brought her hand up to my lips and laid a gentle kiss on the back of her hand before sighing "Let's go home."

"Home?" Susannah whined, "but Jesse it's Saturday night. I wanna go out, do something."

"Querida, it's been a long day, aren't you tired? Besides I don't think going out is such a good idea" I replied.

"Oh come on Jesse, we might as well start living it up right now cause it's gonna be a while before we'll get to go out again after the baby is born," she pleaded, pouting her lip and batting her eyelashes.

I gave a relenting sigh, and asked, "Where do you want to go?"

Susannah gave an excited squeal and said happily "Let's go dancing. We haven't gone in forever."

"Dancing? Are you sure querida?" I questioned skeptically.

"Positive" she grinned giddily.


	27. Chapter 26

:Chapter 26:

"I left for two minutes to go to the rest room and I come back to find you dancing with that man" I said hotly, gripping the steering wheel. "Jesse, we were just dancing. Besides I made my peace with him, so what could you possibly have against him?" she replied in her soothing tone. "Susannah, do you not remember what happened with him while you were in high school?" I asked. "I know, I know, but that's all in the past now. Honey, really, we were just dancing and catching up" she answered. "You know, he is engaged," she added.

"He told you that?" I questioned skeptically. "Yeah, he said he was just visiting his uncle and that he got dragged out by some of his old friends from high school" Susannah chirped with a smug expression.

"And he just happened to spot you and ask you to dance? Did you mention that you're married, and pregnant?" I asked. "Oh, I didn't have to because about two seconds after he told me he was engaged my jealous husband practically tackled the poor guy and gave him a verbal beat down like no other. In front of everyone in the entire club too" she huffed, "Jesse, I don't get it. Why are you acting like this…this macho 'I must shield my little ole wife from every guy, everywhere' man? That isn't my husband. That isn't you."

I took a calming breath and thought for a second about what Susannah had said. "I just…it's just that now that you're pregnant-" I began. "Jesse!" Susannah screeched, "just because I'm pregnant that doesn't mean that I'm suddenly any different. I'm not about to go and run off with Tad freaking Beaumont! Or any other guy for that matter. Do you really think that I'd just up and cheat on you? Especially now that I'm carrying your child!" After that rant Susannah was breathing hard and she looked really stressed out by my actions, and this argument.

"Querida" I cooed, using my own calming tone. "Don't 'querida' me! Not now, Hector" she sighed, turning away. I noticed the sharpness in her voice, and I also noticed how she'd used my formal name. It was never a good sign when she did that.

I finally pulled into our driveway about five minutes later, but neither Susannah nor I moved, even after I'd turned off the car. In the uncomfortable silence of the car I could hear Susannah crying quietly, her nose starting to run. Finally I couldn't take it anymore, so I spoke up; "Susannah, please don't cry. I'm sorry about my behavior, it's just that it seems that…that every time something good happens, something or someone comes and takes it away from me. And I tend to get very protective when I care about something a lot. But with you, it just seems like my protective feelings get even stronger" I admitted, "Don't you remember after we got back from our honeymoon and I punched that guy at the café off of main street because he kept staring at your chest?"

"Jesse" Susannah sniffled, "I remember, trust me. I still can't even think of ever stepping foot in there again. And it's sweet that you're protective, but you took things way beyond protective tonight. I mean you nearly got us kicked out of that club, and you really scared Tad…and me." At this my eyes started prickling, and I could feel tears trying to fill my eyes. In my life, and afterlife, I've only ever cried a few times. Now, my feelings, which Susannah was always telling me to let out, were about to pour out.

"Susannah" I said my voice sounding husky and filled with emotion, "I never meant to scare you. Believe me, that is the last thing I would ever want to do. I don't know what came over me earlier, but I am truly sorry, and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me." When she didn't respond after a few heart-wrenching moments, I had to get out of the car.

I quickly exited the car and closed the door behind me. _'How could I have done that? I really upset her this time. What am I doing?' _I thought as I paced through the front yard.

Light footsteps alerted me that Susannah had gotten out of the car and was just a few feet behind me. I turned around to face her, expecting either a hug and kiss to make up or a continuation of the fight. But I noticed the color had drained from Susannah's face and she looked a little panicked.

"Jesse" Susannah said faintly from near the car, her legs looking like they could barely hold her up, "I'm not feeling too well." I rushed to her side and steadied her, pulling her into my arms. "Susannah, what's wrong? Are you dizzy? Do you feel nauseated?" I asked urgently, smoothing back her hair. "All of the above" she answered weakly, staring down at her hands in shock.

"Do you want to lie down? Or…hospital! I could take you to the hospital" I replied, looking at her blood-smeared hands. "No, you know how I feel about hospitals" she responded, her words coming out slurred, "just let me lie dow-" She just completely went limp, fainting in my arms. "Susannah!" I cried, lifting her head. She didn't respond at all, so I quickly carried her back to the car and got her into the passenger seat.

In that instant all my medical knowledge seemed to evaporate because I was actually panicking. After strapping her in, which took longer than expected, because my hands were shaking, I ran to the driver's side and started the car.

I'm sure I broke the speed limit, and maybe even a few traffic laws, but getting Susannah to the hospital was more important than following laws at this point. I kept talking to Susannah on the way there, trying to wake her, but nothing. Her head just lolled to the side, blood slowly trickling from her nose as I made my to the hospital.

When I finally pulled up to the hospital I ran out and got Susannah before rushing in through the emergency entrance. "I need a doctor!" I yelled, carrying Susannah towards the small nurses' station.

"Dr. de Silva?" a familiar looking nurse asked, running over to me. "Yes, please help. It's my wife. She fainted after saying she was dizzy and feeling nauseated. We just found out she's pregnant. Please, you have to help" I pleaded, my eyes prickling with tears again.

"Oh my gosh" she exclaimed, "come on back and lay her down on a bed, I'll go get one of the doctors."

&&&

"Dr. de Silva" the familiar looking nurse whose name, it turned out was Pamela, said trying to get my attention. I looked up from the plastic chair I was sitting on next to Susannah's bed, my eyes were barely keeping open, but my concern for Susannah was keeping them from closing. She sent me a kind smile before walking into the room with Susannah's chart in hand.

"Dr. Ortega will be right in to talk to you, but I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help. Is there something that you think would make your wife more comfortable, or anything like that?" she asked. "Not having Susannah wake up in here would probably be nice; she hates hospitals" I answered with a slight chuckle, "Thank you for offering, but you've already done enough. I really appreciate everything you've done Pamela, for Susannah and myself." "Don't mention it. I'm just doing my job" she replied before waving goodbye and leaving me alone with Susannah once again.

"Querida, I don't know if you can here me, but I just want to let you know that I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. I love you so much. Please, just try and wake up soon. I honestly don't know what to do without you, and you have no idea how much seeing you lying in this hospital bed is killing me inside" I whispered to her still form, clutching her hand in mine like my life depended on it. My eyes started filling with tears again, but I forced them down, telling myself to be strong for Susannah, and for our baby.

"Jesse" Dr. Ortega said knocking on the door before strolling inside. "Hi" I responded, standing up and shaking his hand politely before sitting back down next to Susannah. "Well I just got back Suze's tests results and everything looks fine. I think the reason she may have passed out was because of stress and exhaustion. It's pretty common for first time mothers to over do things in the beginning of their pregnancy. Suze probably just didn't realize how tired she was, but her body did. Right now the best thing for her is rest and fluids to keep her from getting dehydrated" he explained.

"What about the blood, and the baby?" I questioned anxiously. "Well, it was just a nosebleed, which happens a lot to pregnant women, and as for the babies we won't know for sure until we do an ultrasound, but as far as I can tell they're fine" he answered with a smile.

I stared at him for a moment before what he had just said fully registered. "Babies?" I asked, "As in plural?" "Yeah. You do know its twins, right?" "I…I didn't know. I just found out yesterday that Susannah was pregnant," I said still in shock.

"Well, I don't see how you didn't know, I mean it says right here-oh" he stopped after reading over some of Susannah's paper work. "What?" I questioned, now nervously. "Suze didn't know," he said looking up, "her doctor, Dr. Richardson, put a post-it note on here saying that she had to call Suze and tell her it was twins. Her doctor found out after she had already left her appointment yesterday."

"How is that possible?" I asked genuinely surprised. "Well, in her notes it says 'Upon further examination of ultrasound it was discovered that two fetuses are present. After reviewing tape of the ultrasound, it was evident that two heartbeats are present and both are strong" he read imitating a female voice, but sounding very squeaky and high-pitched. "Twins" I said, almost testing it out.

"Listen Jesse, congratulations on the babies, and I'll come back and check on Suze in a little while. In the mean time, why don't you go and get something to eat, or at least some coffee? You look like you need it," he said before leaving. I turned my attention back to Susannah and couldn't help but smile proudly at her.

I glanced down at my watch and realized just how late it was, and how tired I was. I decided to rest my eyes a little, just for a little while, and laid my head down beside Susannah's hip. _'Just a little nap'_ I told myself as I drifted off to sleep.

&&&

"No, I'm gonna let him sleep a little longer. Last night must have been pretty rough for him and he needs to rest" Susannah was whispering to someone as she smoothed my hair gently.

"Suze, he's been out since before we got here, don't you want to wake him up and let him know you're okay?" a voice I recognized as CeeCee's mumbled back. "Whenever he decides to wake up is when I'll talk to him about how I'm feeling. Besides, look at him; I can't bother him, he looks so cute and serene when he's sleeping" Susannah replied in a hushed tone.

"Sure. Listen I'm gonna go get some breakfast, do you want me to bring you anything?" CeeCee asked. "Umm, some orange juice and a chocolate chip muffin sound really good. Oh, will you make that two orange juices, and get a breakfast burrito too" Susannah answered.

"He's not even awake yet and already you're worrying about what he's gonna eat? Jeez, Simon you're a lot nicer than I am. I pretty much leave Adam to fend for himself," CeeCee admitted. Susannah laughed lightly before saying, "I know, Adam tells me."

"What a little snitch" CeeCee huffed, "oh well, I'll deal with him later. Be back in a few." "Okay, see ya" Susannah sighed.

After a few seconds of silence I decided I'd better actually get up, but Susannah started talking to me, "Jesse, I know you probably can't hear me, but I'm kind of bored and I'm kind of hoping that maybe if I talk to you, you'll wake up. I know that's kind of mean and selfish, but the only company I've had for most of the day have been some super perky nurses and Dan, who said he was gonna take my case since the other doctor's shift was over. CeeCee and Adam got here a while ago. Adam went to go get us some clothes to change into, and some essentials too."

She paused for about a minute before moving onto her side and curling up around my head. That's when I decided to finally get up. Slowly I shifted around a little before opening my eyes.

"Jesse?" Susannah whispered, wiping at her eyes. I lifted my head up and saw that her eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd just been crying. "Susannah" I answered, gazing into her eyes, "are you feeling okay?" She sent me an amused smile and pecked my cheek, her hand still smoothing back my hair. "I feel better, especially now that you're awake, but a little freaked out."

"Why freaked out?" I questioned, sitting up in my chair. My back and neck felt stiff from the position I'd slept in, and I guess Susannah noticed because next thing I knew she was pulling me onto the bed beside her and turning me away from her.

"Susannah, I'm fine, just a little stiff. I'll be fine in a little while. Now why are you freaked out? Did one the doctor's say something?" I protested. "Jesse, relax, I'm just gonna try and help you loosen up. Why didn't you just sleep next to me on the bed, it's big enough for both of us? Oh, and no, the doctor won't tell me anything except that I have to take things easy and realize my limits. But I'm freaked up cause I woke up in the hospital. You know my feelings on hospitals" she replied, her hands massaging all my stress and anxiety away. "I don't know, I didn't even think about that," I said contently.

"Better?" she asked resting her chin on my shoulder, after she had eased my tight muscles. "Yes, thank you" I responded reaching over my shoulder and tucking some hair behind Susannah's ear.

"Jesse, we have to talk about what happened last night, at least eventually" she sighed lying back against her pillows. "I know. Susannah…I'm sorry, I know my behavior was inexcusable-"

"Jesse, I wasn't talking about the fight" Susannah interrupted. "Oh, you mean after you fainted" I said, not really wanting to think back to what had happened for fear that it would stir up all those emotions within me again.

I turned around to face Susannah and noticed she didn't look me in the eye. "Yeah" she murmured, wrapping her arms around her stomach protectively.

"Susannah I honestly don't know what to tell you. I mean after you fainted I pretty much just rushed you over here, and after that they ran some tests. Dr. Ortega said you had probably passed out due to stress and exhaustion, and that it was common for first time mothers to not realize they're over doing things. Besides that nothing happened. The last thing I remember is talking to you before resting my eyes a little" I recounted.

"Resting your eyes, huh?" Susannah laughed, "You know, most people just call that sleeping." I smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed, but hearing Susannah laugh was a welcome sound.

"Jesse?" she asked, looking pensive. "Yes Susannah?" I responded. "Are you still mad at me?" she questioned, her emerald gaze meeting my own. "Mad at you? I was never mad at you, why would you think that I was?" I asked confused. "Because you haven't called me querida not once since last night" she pointed out. "If I recall correctly, I was told not to call you querida. I guess I was just waiting for some sort of an affirmation that it was okay for me to call you that again" I answered.

"Jesse" Susannah repeated, "I'm sorry about last night. You know Tad, and fainting. Well, everything really." "None of that was your fault. I'm the one who should be sorry. I over reacted when I saw you with that guy, and I shouldn't have attacked him. If I hadn't done that, maybe you wouldn't have fainted, and ended up in the hospital. I'm sorry querida. I'm so sorry" I said, the tears that had been prickling my eyes since yesterday, finally dripping down my face.

"Jesse" she cooed, wrapping her arms around me. I just buried my face in her hair and cried, holding her tightly. "Shhh, it's okay" Susannah whispered to me, pulling away and staring into my eyes, "It's okay." Hearing that just made me cry more, and Susannah brought my head down to her chest. She knew that hearing her heartbeat would relax me as she always said hearing mine always relaxes her. Just crying against her chest and hugging her tightly made everything seem better.

After a few minutes I looked up at Susannah and noticed that she was crying as well. Gently I wiped away her tears, and kissed her cheek. She sent me a watery smile and wiped my own tears. "Aren't we a pair?" Susannah joked, laughing lightly, after all our tears were finally wiped away. I chuckled and cupped her face before kissing her. I'd been dying to kiss her since I'd first heard her voice this morning. And now everything seemed right as we kissed, gently exploring each other's mouths.

"Okay, really, you two. I haven't even had my morning coffee yet, and you two are already making out" CeeCee interrupted from the doorway. Susannah and I begrudgingly broke apart, smiling like idiots. "Good morning to you too" I teased, watching CeeCee as she brought a tray of food towards Susannah and I.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here, I've got two orange juices, a chocolate chip muffin, and a breakfast burrito. The coffee and egg sandwich are mine, so paws off" she said, sliding the tray onto the swinging table attached to Susannah's bed. "Thank you" both Susannah and I replied happily taking our food and eating.

"Jeez, can you people never wait for me to start eating?" Adam asked coming into the room carrying one of Susannah's many overnight bags.

"Did you bring everything I told you to?" Susannah questioned. "God morning to you too. And I'm fine by the way, thanks for asking. Here, I brought everything you put on the list, plus this cool belt I thought would go well with the outfit you recommended for Jesse" Adam replied, pulling out my brown leather belt with the silver buckle.

"Oh my God, what is it with guys and that belt? It's a funky, old belt, why can't you people see that?" Susannah complained. CeeCee nodded her head in agreement and added, "That thing looks older than Sister Ernestine." "That's probably because it is" Susannah sighed under her breath, taking the bag from Adam and looking through it.

"Miss Simon" a young nurse chimed from the doorway. I made a face at that, because even after two years of marriage, Susannah still refuses to take my name. Susannah made an annoyed face and put down her muffin before turning towards the perky young woman and giving her a forced smile.

"Hello again. Are you feeling okay?" the nurse asked walking over and checking the machines connected to Susannah. "Oh I'm just dandy. Actually I was wondering when I'd be able to get out of here, cause you know, I'm feeling all better" Susannah answered with fake cheerfulness.

"Well, Dr. Richardson is on her way in just to see you, and once she gives us an okay, you'll be released" the nurse said with a bright smile that hurt my jaw just looking at it.

"Thank God" Susannah huffed, "I just wanna go home and relax." I grabbed Susannah's hand and said "Me too, and I can't wait to take you home and-"

"Awh, well I know all of us here will really miss you. We'll just have to bug your husband to bring you around more often" the now slightly annoying nurse interrupted. "Definitely" Susannah replied with a sarcastic undertone that completely went over the perky nurse's head. "Alright, well see ya around. Bye" she cheered, waving as she exited the room.

"Oh my God" CeeCee said looking disgusted, "are all the nurses here like that?" "No, just a few, and of course I seem to attract them all" Susannah grumbled. I strung my arm around Susannah and gave her a gentle kiss on the head when another woman entered the room. "Hey Suze" said the woman, walking in with Susannah's chart in her hand.

"Hey Monica" Susannah replied with a genuine smile. I nudged her and whispered "Querida, who is that?" Susannah laughed before making introductions. "Jesse is this Dr. Richardson, Dr. Richardson, this is my husband Jesse. And those two over there are-well you already know CeeCee, but that's her husband, Adam." Dr. Richardson waved at Adam and CeeCee before walking over to Susannah's bed. She gave Susannah a gentle hug and stuck her hand out. I shook her hand while she said, "Well, it sure is nice to finally meet you. Suze is always telling me about you, but she's been doing that since I first started seeing her, and that was years ago. Sorry we had to meet under these circumstances though." "Yes, it's nice to meet you too," I replied politely, trying to remember if Susannah had ever mentioned a Dr. Richardson to me.

"Alright what do you have to do before you can let them release me?" Susannah asked getting straight to the point. Dr. Richardson smiled at Susannah and answered, "Just a little check up to make sure everything looks okay, and then an ultrasound to peek in at the kiddies."

"Kiddies?" Susannah questioned, noticing the plural.

"Crap" Dr. Richardson sighed, "Yeah, I forgot to call you. Umm, after you left yesterday I went back to review the ultrasound footage and noticed that there were two heartbeats present and two fetuses."

"Oh my God" Susannah gasped, "two." I scooted closer to Susannah and pulled her into my arms. "Querida, relax. We can handle it."

"That's easy for you to say, you don't have to give birth to two babies or carry them for nine months. I'm gonna be huge" she grumbled.

"Susannah, its okay. I'm here to help as much as possible and you know I'll be here for you no matter what" I reassured her. "Yeah, but my cousin Sarah had twins and she got **huge**! I mean, she looked like she had tucked a giant beach ball under all her clothes" she exclaimed.

I laughed, remembering Susannah tell me about her cousin's appearance at her baby shower. "Querida, you'll be fine, and I'm sure you won't get huge" I replied.

"Suze," CeeCee said trying to get Susannah's attention, "just think about it. More weight means more cleavage."

Susannah seemed to perk up at this, but I could tell her mind was whirring with worries. I planted a gentle kiss on her cheek and whispered to her, "Don't worry. Stop panicking, and think about the positives. Besides with twins, pregnancy is usually shortened by at least a couple weeks."

She sent me an appreciative smile and hugged me tightly. "Okay" she murmured. "I love you." I squeezed her tighter and nuzzled my face on her neck before mumbling back "I love you too querida."

"Well, I hate to break this up, but I need to do a quick exam before I let these people release you. So, everybody out unless you're pregnant or a father-to-be" Dr. Richardson said shooing out Adam and CeeCee.

CeeCee however, didn't move. Adam noticed this and tapped her on the shoulder before saying to her, "Cee that means she wants us out."

CeeCee just looked up at him with nervous eyes and replied, "Adam I have to tell you something. C'mon." At that she grabbed Adam's hand and pulled him out after her.

"That's going to be an interesting conversation," Dr. Richardson said, standing up and going to the foot of Susannah's hospital bed.

&&&

"Everything is okay down here," Dr. Richardson said, covering Susannah back up.

Those few minutes she had spent examining Susannah were some of the uncomfortable moments I've had to experience in my life. I mean, she was poking and prodding my wife, in a very private area. Not only that, but Susannah didn't seem too thrilled about it. She kept squirming and making odd faces as Dr. Richardson did whatever it is gynecologists do down there.

"I'm just gonna go bring in an ultrasound machine and check on the kids, if everything is okay I'll make sure you get outta here today" Dr. Richardson informed us as she exited the room.

Susannah stared after her for a few seconds before she wiggled uncomfortably and sat up. She patted the space beside her legs, searching for something.

"Querida, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just…I had underwear on last night. And I could have sworn I had some on when I woke up. But now, I can't find them" she explained looking frustrated.

I joined her in the search and quickly discovered the undergarment in question. "Would this happen to be what you were looking for?" I asked holding out the white, cotton article of clothing.

"Thank you" she cheered, happily snatching it away from me and tugging it up her legs.

"Querida…" I started, not quite sure of what I was saying.

"Yeah?" she asked, looking into my eyes, a smile appearing on her face.

"I was wondering…well, more hoping than wondering…but, when we get home…are…are we going to be okay? Because I hate fighting with you, and I know that sometimes you forgive me and then decide later that you're still mad at me."

"We're just fine, Jesse. And when we do get home, there are two very important things I have to do" she replied.

"What?" I questioned.

"First of all, shower. And second of all, make love to my husband. Multiple times" she said, grabbing hold of my hand and running her thumb over my knuckles. I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face, and a second later I was kissing Susannah, whispering to her about what we could when we got home. After a few minutes we pulled apart, figuring Dr. Richardson would be returning soon.

And almost as if on cue, Dr. Richardson appeared. "Alright" Dr. Richardson sighed, entering the room, tugging an ultrasound machine behind her. "Now, we just got this new machine that lets you see the baby in like high def. I'm not supposed to take this one out of my office upstairs, but for you, Suze, I couldn't help myself."

Susannah gave a delighted squeal and turned to me with bright eyes. "Now you can see the babies and hear their heartbeats."

&&&

_Thud-thud-thud-thud._

When I first heard the sound my mind went completely blank. I stared up at Susannah and then back again at the ultrasound machine. There on the screening, two barely visible blobs were. One more prominent on the screen than the other.

"Now you can't really see much because you're only about two months along, but by next month we should be able to see fingers, toes, and even faces with this new machine. Plus we might be able to tell the sexes of the babies" Dr. Richardson said with a cheerful smile.

"Jesse" Susannah cooed with a brilliant smile plastered on her face, "what are you thinking?"

I looked up into Susannah's sparkling eyes and couldn't think of a way to respond. _What was I thinking? Susannah, the most beautiful woman to ever grace this planet, is my wife, and carrying my children. This perfect woman who has already given me so much, is now giving me something I thought was impossible._

My mouth moved to try to tell Susannah these things, but no words came out.

Dr. Richardson slowly stood up and mumbled something about giving us a moment alone before scurrying out of the room.

"Jesse?" Susannah asked, staring at me with worried eyes.

I looked at her, amazed at how much my life has changed, and all because of this perfect, beautiful, smart, sexy woman.

Her eyes searched my face, for any clue as to what I might be thinking, and all I could think about was how I was ever going to repay her for rescuing me from a half-life of nothing but pain and loneliness.

"Querida" I sighed before kissing her soft lips. I tried to thank her for everything she has ever done for me in that single kiss, but that was impossible. She pulled away to catch her breath and smiled at me. "Jesse, you don't have thank me. I love you," she said through ragged breaths. I smiled at how she understood exactly what I'd been trying to convey and gently kissed her again.

Dr. Richardson knocked on the door before poking her head through the doorway. She gave us a warm smile and stepped into the room, holding Susannah's chart. "All right well everything looks great, so I'm gonna go ahead and let them release you, but I want to have a follow-up with you sometime next week, just to be safe" she told us.

Susannah nodded her head and questioned, "Jesse can come right?" I smiled happily at her and stared expectantly at Dr. Richardson.

"Of course" she answered, "I always tell my patients that involving the fathers is a great idea, plus it makes them feel more involved, and not like they're just the sperm donor."

I nodded, already having felt that a little bit, but asked Dr. Richardson, "Should Susannah be restricting anything from her diet, or are there certain things she should try and eat more of now that she's pregnant?"

"Well, I'd advise her to lay of junk food, and try and eat more fruits and veggies, but she should be fine. I've already gone over some food no-nos with her, and she knows that she has to restrain from certain things, but Suze eats pretty well already. And remember you crave something, you get it. Those cravings are so random, but if you don't get them, you'll get grouchy" she advised us. "Now go schedule your appointment at the front desk, and then go home and relax."

"Gladly" Susannah said, waving goodbye to Dr. Richardson. "All right lets blow this popsicle stand."


	28. Chapter 27

:Chapter 27:

"Jesse" she giggled happily as I carried her through the front door, "I can walk you know."

"Querida, have you ever known me to pass up an excuse to carry you around?" I asked, as I shut the door behind us. I walked toward the stairs and shrugged Susannah's overnight bag off my shoulder and let it fall to the floor before hurrying up the stairs. Susannah laughed excitedly the entire way, only stopping once I'd laid her down on our bed. We then kicked off our shoes and I leaned over Susannah, trailing kisses from her lips down.

"Jesse" she sighed contently as I kissed her neck, "I feel all gross, let me shower first."

I groaned in protest, but got a better idea and lifted her into my arms once again. I carried her into the bathroom, and set her down on the counter. "Don't move" I instructed her before running over to the shower and turning on the water.

"What are you doing?" Susannah asked with a smile, swinging her legs back and forth.

"You'll see" I replied with a mischievous smile before I ran back towards Susannah, and went back to kissing her neck, then working my way up to her lips.

As the kiss deepened, Susannah quickly lifted my t-shirt over my head, while I unbuttoned her blouse. Once both our shirts were off, I removed Susannah's bra and she peeled my undershirt off me.

"Come on, we're wasting water" Susannah said with a smile as she unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. I quickly undid her pants and lifted her up so I could tug them off of her. I lifted her again to remove her panties and she pulled down my boxers. Her legs wrapped around me as I stepped out of my pants and boxers, walking towards the shower.

Once inside, I moved us both under the cascade of hot water and let it rinse over us as we continued to kiss. "Jesse" Susannah panted, as I held her up with one hand and gently massaged her breast with my other. A few minutes later she whined, her legs tightening around me. "Jesse, enough, I'm more than ready." After having figured I'd tortured her enough, I positioned us right and eased into Susannah. I walked forward and positioned her back against the wall, as we both panted and moaned.

After we'd both come, I rested my forehead against Susannah's, both of us trying to catch our breath.

"We hadn't had sex in here in a while" Susannah sighed, brushing some hair back from my face. "I know, we should try it more often" I replied giving her a not-so-brief peck. Carefully Susannah, unwrapped her legs from around my waist, and I let her slide off of me.

We both exited the shower, after having helped wash each other, which led to more shower sex. I helped Susannah dry off, as she did the same to me. Once we were both sufficiently toweled off, I grabbed Susannah and threw her over my shoulder, carrying her fireman style back to our bedroom.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Susannah laughed before I plopped her down onto our bed.

"I'm helping you accomplish your list of very important things to do once you get home. I believe shower has been checked off, and now we're on to the part where you make love to your husband, multiple times" I answered, climbing on top of her.

"Ah, yes" she said before flipping us over so she was on top, "how kind of you to help."

"I try my best" I chuckled.

&&&

I awoke with a start, feeling slightly panicked. I looked down and noticed that Susannah wasn't curled up next to me as she had been when I'd fallen asleep. I looked at the space next to me in bed and saw that she wasn't there either. I looked over to the bathroom, but no light peeked out from under the door.

Now I was worried. It wasn't like Susannah to just get up in the middle of night. I quickly got out of bed and pulled on some boxers, before searching the rest of our second floor.

She wasn't in the study, she wasn't in either of the guestrooms or their bathrooms, and she wasn't in her office.

I practically ran down the stairs, rushing through the living room, dining room, kitchen, and then I finally reached the family room. There sitting on the window seat, she'd insisted we have built in, was Susannah. She had her silk robe pulled around her snugly and her legs stretched out in front of her, a steaming mug of berry smelling tea beside her. One of her hands lay at her side, while the other protectively wrapped around her stomach. She sat looking out the window, whispering something. I walked closer and heard what she was saying, causing the silliest grin to appear on my face. "…he used sit on one just like this in my room. And he would always be reading or looking out at the stars, his eyes full of intelligence. That's another thing I hope you guys get from your dad, his smarts. May God help you if get stuck with my IQ. My fashion sense though, that you two should be hoping for. You know, I hope you guys look like Jesse. I mean, if you don't look like me. But if either of you has his chocolate brown eyes, or dark hair, I'd love that. So would your dad, I think he'd like that too." She went silent for a moment before rubbing her stomach affectionately, a smile coming to her face.

"Querida" I whispered, "what are doing down her in the dark?"

She turned her head at the sound of my voice and got up. "I couldn't sleep. What are you doing up? Did I wake you?" she asked, walking over to me.

"No, I just got a bad feeling and woke up. And you weren't there so I got worried and then I couldn't find you, so I started getting all panicky" I admitted.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you" she replied, grabbing hold of my hand.

"What were you doing, anyway?" I questioned, bring her hand up to my lips and kissing the back of it.

"Talking to the twins. I told them about the day we met, and a lot the stuff we've gone through."

"Really? What did you tell them?" I asked.

"Well I started at the day we met and stopped after I described how you were brought back to life. After that my mind sort of wandered and I drifted back into little details" she answered.

"We're going to have a heck of time explaining to them what happened when they get older" I said.

"Yeah, but we could turn it into a bedtime story sort of thing, then just say 'hey remember that story we told you, yeah that was actually what happened to mommy and daddy."

"Daddy" I repeated, amazed that in just a few months there would two children who could call me that.

"Yeah" Susannah said with a smile. "Weird isn't it? We've been talking about having kids practically since we got married, and now that it's actually happening, everything seems so scary and exciting."

I kissed the top of her head gently, grabbed her mug of tea, and led her back towards the stairs. "Come on querida, its late, and you need your rest. Besides tomorrow is Monday, and some of us have to go to work."

"It's not my fault you're not a designer and can't work from home" she replied, sticking her tongue out at me.

I laughed and pulled her along after me. "True. When do you have to submit your new line by?"

"I have to have the handbag collection in by next Friday but they don't need my clothing line for another two weeks. Which is really good, because I only have a couple sketches done" she answered with a laugh as we reached our bedroom.

"You should see if they'll let you design some maternity clothes querida, I'm sure you could come up with some nice stuff. Besides you know tons of people would buy it" I suggested.

"Maybe, I'll have to ask Marvin about it, see if the stores would even buy the clothes" she said, climbing back into bed.

"Querida, your line is the top selling brand at Macys, Nordstrom, JC Penny's, and Dillard's. They would be foolish not to sell your clothes. Although I still don't see why you don't open your own chain of stores, we have more than enough to open at least a few" I pointed out.

"Yeah but that would just be a lot more stressful, besides this way I don't have to worry about advertisement, because the stores take care of that. I don't want to have to worry about paying this and that bill to so and so for whatever. I like the arrangement now; I design, help with some the productions, mess with some advertising, and then I get to sit back and let the people shop. If I were to open my own chain, it'd be a lot more time to put into it, and now with the twins on the way, I can't deal with having to be away from home and haggling with people" she explained as I laid down beside her. She rested her head on my chest and curled up next to me, letting me wrap my arms around her.

"I will ask Marvin about the maternity clothes though" she sighed lazily running her fingers over my stomach and chest.

"Marvin?" I asked, "What happened to Fran?"

"Fran retired, remember, I went to her party last month" she answered.

"I don't remember her party" I said, trying to remember.

"That's cause you didn't go. I took Cee with me cause you couldn't get out of working late" she yawned.

"So who's this Marvin guy?" I questioned.

"He's actually Fran's nephew" she said, "he's the sweetest guy, and he's all nervous cause this is his first real job experience. He graduated first in his class from Stanford. He's the guy who gave me the Stanford sweatshirt."

"And he's handling all your stuff now?" I asked.

"Yeah, Fran recommended him and she trained him herself. He's great, very straightforward, doesn't sugarcoat stuff. And he's so funny. I swear if I had anyone to set him up with I would, cause he'd make quite a catch" she gushed.

"Really?" I asked, trying not to show the tinge of jealously that I was feeling towards this man.

"Definitely" she assured me, "he's gonna make some guy so happy some day."

"Guy?" I questioned.

"Yeah, he's gay. Why? Were you getting all jealous about him?" she questioned, looking up to my face.

"No…" I lied, "okay, yes. But just a little."

She laughed and pecked my lips before settling her head back against my chest. "Go to sleep Jesse, and don't wake me up in the morning. I need my rest" she teased.

I laughed and planted a kiss atop her head, pulling her closer to me, before feeling my eyelids droop down.

For some reason I dreamt about younger versions of Susannah and I visiting us while we slept. They kept going on and on about the best way to switch us. Susannah must have been dreaming the same thing because I could sense her fear.

The younger versions of us were arguing about how much we should remember and then finally decided that we shouldn't remember anything and start out fresh. That didn't sound too good, but I figured, it's just a dream, relax it will be over soon. But I got a feeling this wasn't a dream, so I mentally told Susannah, "Querida, I don't know what's going on but if for some reason we really don't remember this or anything, just know I will find you. Not matter what, I will find you."

She mentally replied "I love you", before lifting her head up and pressing her lips to my own. I relished the feel of her lips, wondering if it would be the last time that I would ever get to savor her kiss.

And then I couldn't feel anything any more. Everything was dark, and my mind went blank.


	29. Chapter 28

:Chapter 28:

I groaned as the sound of my cell phone ringing woke me up. This had better be good, I had been in the middle of a really interesting dream. But as I tried to remember the dream, it slipped away. Only one word resounded in my head; querida. But, why? I had never heard that word before. And I noticed my lips were tingling, as if I had just kissed someone or someone had just kissed me. I couldn't tell, but whoever it was, was one hell of a kisser. My lips had never tingled like this before, and the sensation was something I knew I'd be craving to feel again. Great, I thought, just what I needed, some mystery lips making me tingle like never before; as if I wasn't sad enough before.

I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed my phone. Who would have the audacity to call this early? I looked at the caller ID and sighed. Of course, who else but CeeCee.

"This better be good, I was sleeping like most normal people are doing at this hour" I answered.

"Jesse it's after eight, get your butt up and greet the world with a smile" she replied.

"Is there a reason you're calling me so early?" I asked yawning.

"Oh, right. Well I wanted to see if you wanted to go to the beach today. My friend Suze from New York is flying in and I wanted to take her out, introduce her to new people, show her around her new stomping grounds" she said excitedly.

"Adam can't give you guys a ride?" I questioned.

CeeCee was silent for a moment before saying "You know what never mind. Don't hang out with us. I was just trying to be a good friend and include you, but no you just had to be Mr. Grumpy-pants."

"Ah, he can't meet up with you guys until later, and your friend is here already" I guessed.

"Jesse, that's so…I can't believe…ugh, yeah. But she's not here yet. Her flight arrives in thirty minutes and I already told her mom I could pick her up" she replied.

"CeeCee" I huffed, "I don't even know if I can. I might have to watch my sisters again today."

"Marta can watch them and you know it. Please Jesse, I'm begging you. Besides Suze is single, and REALLY hot" she pleaded.

"Can I trust your hotness judgement?" I asked, slightly intrigued about this mystery girl.

"Of course! Besides Suze is practically dripping hottness, plus she's hot in that real girl kind of way, not like a stick" she answered. "And if you pick us up and hang out with us today I might be inclined to play matchmaker" she added smugly.

"I don't need you to play matchmaker for me. But I'll help you out, out of the kindness of my heart."

CeeCee in reply actually squeed and then sang out "I'm so playing matchmaker, you need a chick and you and Suze would be SO cute together."

"CeeCee, really, no" I said, kind of meaning it.

"Oh please, I can almost here you singing 'Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match" she sang.

"Hardly. What time do you want me at your house?" I asked.

"Umm…right now would be nice" she said cheerfully.

"Wait when does her plane land?" I questioned.

"In thirty minutes if its not delayed" she answered, "Can you be at my house in twenty minutes?"

"Crap" I mumbled looking over myself, "Yeah, I'll be there."

"Jesse you're a lifesaver" she sighed happily, "and one of the good flavors too."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll see you in a little bit" I said before hanging up and running into my bathroom for a quick shower.

Exactly twenty minutes later I was just leaving my house, racing out the door, and yelling back at Marta to watch everyone while I was gone and that if mom called to tell her I was out with CeeCee and Adam.

Just as I turned off of my street my cell phone rang. CeeCee. Again.

"I'm on my way" I answered, "hold thine horsies."

"Oh, okay, just checking" she replied.

"I'll be there in 2.3 seconds" I said rounding the corner of CeeCee's street.

"Hey I see you" she laughed waving, and then hung up.

I stopped right in front of her and she hopped in, a big smile on her face. "I'm so excited for you to meet Suze" she gushed, "you're gonna love her."

"If you say so" I sighed, thinking about how much I needed caffeine.

"Did you have a date last night?" CeeCee asked, eyeing me.

I gave her a perplexed look and replied "No, why?"

"I don't know, you look different, like…something big happened. You sure you didn't have a date? How about kiss? Did you kiss someone?" she questioned still watching me with intrigue.

"CeeCee, I haven't had a date for months, which you already knew, and the last person to kiss me was Mapi, so no, nothing big happened" I answered, feeling even more depressed about the state of my love life.

"If you say so, but I still think something happened. Wait. I know! You had another dream" she exclaimed.

"Urgh, I knew I shouldn't have told you about those" I mumbled. I'd only even told her about them in the first place thinking that maybe her experience with her weird Aunt Pru could help me better understand these dreams.

"I'm right, through, huh?" she replied.

"Yes, I had another one. And it was the exact same as the others, when I try to remember them, my mind goes blank. Only this time it felt even more real."

"More real how so?" she asked, obviously intrigued.

"When I woke up, my lips were tingling, like I'd just been kissed" I said.

"Good kiss?" she questioned.

"Sadly, it felt better than any kiss I've ever actually had."

"Maybe it's a sign. Like you're gonna have the best kiss of your life today, or meet the best kisser you'll ever kiss today" she suggested optimistically.

"Or it could mean I'm a crazy person who wakes up with tingling lips" I offered.

"Or that" she laughed, obviously noting my wanting to change the topic.

"So how do you even know this girl?" I asked, getting onto the highway.

"We met at Peninsula Pizza a few months ago" she explained, "she was giving one of the employees some attitude about the service and I liked her spunk, so we started talking and it turns out the employee was her step-brother, and she was just messing around with him. That's how I knew we'd hit it off. She's got attitude, she annoys people she doesn't like, and she sticks up for what she believes in."

"You got all that from her annoying her brother and talking to her in a pizza parlor?" I asked skeptically.

"Step-brother. And, well, no. We hung out after that, but then she had to go back and finish getting all her stuff packed. And now she's coming back to stay permanently. So yay!" she answered all giddily.

"So she's from New York, huh? Why is she moving over here?" I questioned, smiling at CeeCee's childish excitement.

Rarely did something truly excite her this much, so I knew this Suze girl had to be, at the very least an entertaining person who, apparently brought out the inner child in CeeCee, which was a nice change. Not that CeeCee isn't fun, she just tends to concentrate on achieving her goals, and not scheduling fun in her list of to-dos. She has loosened up, however, due to the fact that my other best friend Adam, who just so happens to be her boyfriend too, is about as mature as a five year-old.

"Yeah, from Brooklyn, her mom is moving them out here to be with her new step-dad and step-brothers. Her mom married Handy Andy" CeeCee giggled.

"The guy from TV?" I asked, "really?"

"Yep, our own Andy Ackerman, handyman extraordinaire" she said.

"Isn't his kid Brad in our class?" I questioned.

"Yeah, that's her new step-brother. She's got three in all" she told me as we exited the highway.

"So is she gonna go to the mission with us, or how old is she?" I asked, getting more and more interested in this girl.

"Yeah, she'll be in our class, she's our age."

Just then I pulled into the closet parking space, and got out, trailing after CeeCee who was practically skipping towards the airport entrance. If CeeCee was actually skipping around, something had to be up, either this girl is CeeCee's other, more fun-loving half, or this is the first sign that the world as we know it is about to end.

Once inside CeeCee whipped out a folded piece of paper from her purse and unfolded it. In huge, bold, swirly letters it said Suze Simon, with three exclamation marks after it, and a smiley face. There were also stickers stuck on, shining dully in the fluorescent lighting of the airport lobby. Uh-oh, she's been doing art, maybe the end really is nearing.

She looked around anxiously for a few seconds before letting out a sigh of relief and saying "Jesse, I really gotta use the bathroom, can you just stand here with the sign. She shouldn't be out yet, but if she sees you with the sign at least then you can explain that I'll be right out."

I grumbled but took the sign from her, and told her to hurry up. She scurried off towards the bathrooms and I looked around the airport. A large group of people were walking out from security and I realized that a flight must have just landed. I scanned the crowd, but then remembered that CeeCee had never told me what this Suze girl looked like. Just that she was hot, in a real way. So instead I scanned the crowd for teenage girls. One girl who looked about my age appeared, but I quickly ruled her out. CeeCee would never befriend a valley girl wannabe or a Kelly Prescott twin, which this girl was a definite mixture of. Next I spotted a young girl with bright red hair, only she was walking funny and when the crowd parted in front of her I noticed she was shackled and being led by a police officer. Definitely not her. I continued looking around but I didn't see anymore girls that looked to be my age.

As the stragglers of the flight were making their way out I saw the most gorgeous woman I had ever laid eyes on. She sauntered out, giving her beautiful chestnut hair a little flip. As she came closer towards me, I took in every inch of her. She looked to be around my age, and she had creamy white skin that practically glowed and looked so soft and smooth. She had on a denim mini skirt, which showed off her amazing legs, and a light blue wife beater with Mickey Mouse on the front, which was kind of low cut, so it accentuated her chest. I had to shut my mouth, because my jaw had dropped when I first saw her. Behind her she lugged a huge black suitcase, but she didn't show how much work it must be to carry that thing after you. Her gaze met mine for an instant and she gave me a shy smile before her eyes latched onto the sign I was still holding. Her eyes entranced me as she walked cautiously towards me. They were a vibrant, emerald green, and sparkled with intelligence and strength.

She searched my face as she drew nearer, I think trying to place me. Still she came closer, and I started panicking. Quickly I looked around and behind me, trying to see what lucky person was meeting this divine woman. But no one else was waiting around, everyone was running around, scrambling through the airport. I turned back to her and gulped, wondering why this beautiful girl could possibly be staring at me. She stopped right in front of me, eyeing me carefully.

She opened her mouth to say something but before she could get out even one word CeeCee ran over and practically tackled the poor girl. "Oh my goodness, I've missed you so much!" CeeCee said tightly hugging the girl.

I noticed her smile and was hypnotized. This perfect girl was CeeCee's friend? Maybe I would have to have CeeCee act as matchmaker. Somehow I could picture myself with her. Her and me, hanging out, having fun, dating even. Maybe getting to kiss her pouty lips. They looked so soft, and I craved to place my lips on her's… Wow, I need to stop fantasizing, NOW.

The girl hugged CeeCee just as tight and cheered back, "Me too! I think I actually squeed when the captain said we were preparing to land." They both laughed and released each other, walking closer to me. I swallowed hard, and felt so awkward next to the perfection of this girl.

"Suze, this my friend Jesse de Silva, Jesse this is Suze Simon" CeeCee stated making introductions.

"Hi" she said flashing me a glorious smile. "Umm…hi" I replied giving her a nervous smile and mentally chastising myself for making a fool out of myself.

"Alright Suze I hope you slept on the plane cause I've got a busy day planned for us" CeeCee informed Suze, putting her arm around her shoulders and leading her towards the exit. "All day we're laying around the beach, and then later we're grabbing a bite to eat, followed by an all night movie fest and copious amounts of sugar" she added.

"Hmm…that sounds, perfect" Suze laughed in response.

"Here, let me take that for you" I said taking Suze's luggage and tugging it along after me.

"You really don't have to" she protested, "I had it, really."

"You've been dragging this thing with you since you got off the plane, please, let me" I replied.

She sent me another smile, but this one was kind of shy and flirty, and said "Thanks Jesse." I nearly tripped over myself when I heard her say my name. The way she said it made me want to hear it over and over again, but from her and only her lips.

"No problem" I managed to mumble as we exited the airport and started towards the parking lot. As we reached my car CeeCee's cell phone rang and she rummaged through her purse for it. She quickly said something to Suze and answered her phone with a slight smile. Adam.

Suze looked to me with another shy smile and stepped closer towards me. I gulped as she strutted over, a question forming on her lips. "So, how long have you known CeeCee?" she asked, leaning against my car. I had to remind myself to keep from drooling, and shook my head to keep my mind from wandering into dangerous thoughts.

"Since we were kids" I answered, "we met on the first day of preschool. She asked me why I was brown, I asked her why she was white and after that we just sort of stuck together."

Suze laughed and I noticed how her eyes light up when she laughs, dazzling me even more.

"So is Suze short for Susan or is that your real name?" I questioned opening the trunk of my car and placing Suze's luggage inside.

"Hardly" she sighed, "it's short for Susannah. You know like the song, 'O Susannah don't you cry for me."

I laughed and replied, "Catchy tune, must be nice to have a song to sing every time you meet someone."

"Oh but it is" she giggled back. After she'd stopped laughing she asked, "So how did Cee manage to get you to chauffeur us around today? I mean guy like you must have a girlfriend or two you could be taking out."

I stared at her for a moment, my mouth agape. She thinks I have a girlfriend, **or two**? "Oh, no, I don't have…I mean…any…and…CeeCee asked, so I said okay" I mumbled.

Susannah stared at me for a moment, her lips parted and a word began but CeeCee trudged back over and heaved an annoyed sigh. Susannah turned to look at CeeCee and asked her what was wrong. CeeCee stared off for a minute before registering what Susannah had said and squeaked out that Adam was too tired to meet up with us now so he'd join us later to eat or something.

Adam had gone to his sister's wedding in Los Angeles and had just gotten back this morning, I had somehow known he would tell CeeCee something along the lines of jetlag as an excuse to sneak off with another of his girlfriends. But that was Adam for you. He may be immature, but he did have a way with women.

"Cee don't worry about it, I'm sure he's exhausted and just wants to nap. Like he said, he'll meet up with us later" she reassured her, stringing her arm around her shoulders. CeeCee nodded her head and together they climbed into the backseat. I went around to the driver's side and got in, started the car, and drove us back onto the highway. "CeeCee, where to?" I asked as we neared the exits to downtown.

"To the beach" she cheered. I looked back at Susannah through the rearview mirror and saw her giggling at something CeeCee had said. Nombre de Dios, this girl is beautiful. And then my mind drifted back to my dream. That word, querida, rang out in my head. But, why?

&&&

When we got to the beach CeeCee and Susannah went to find us a spot and then to change into their bathing suits. I just grabbed a pair of swimming trunks, of which I always keep a pair of in my trunk, and changed in the car. After I had on my swim shorts I went to the store near the beach and bought three sodas.

When I reached the blanket CeeCee had laid out to reserve our spot, I noticed that a lot of other people from our school had had the same idea of how to spend today. I let out a groan as people were waving over to me, yelling my name, and saying hi. Some guys nodded in my direction as they passed by me and then I noticed that they stopped suddenly, their mouths hanging open. I turned to see what they were gawking at and saw Susannah walking over.

My jaw dropped. She was sauntering over in a white, string bikini, her emerald gaze transfixed on me. I forced my mouth shut and stared in awe as she walked over to the blanket and plopped herself down onto it beside me. "Hey" she smiled.

"Hi" I mumbled in response as one of the guys who had nodded in my direction came to stand in front of us. "Hey Jesse, who's your friend?" Jim, my biology lab partner from last year asked, staring down at Susannah with a gleam in his gray eyes.

"Oh, this is-"

"Suze, Suze Simon" she said with a smile, "I'm Jesse's friend from New York." I looked at her oddly, wondering why she had said that, but went along with it anyway.

"Yeah?" he asked, "So what are you doing all the way over here in NoCal?"

"Well I came to visit Jesse, but I once I got here I knew I just couldn't survive without him, so I moved out here" she lied, her hand finding mine and clutching it loosely, all the while her smile never fading.

The second her hand touched mine I froze, and when she held it I started feeling all tingly. No one had ever made my skin feel like that.

Jim's eyes dropped and he hurriedly mumbled something about having to meet his friends, but that it was nice meeting her and he'd see me in school on Monday.

Once he was out of earshot Susannah turned to face me and said "Thanks for going along with that. I saw him staring at me when I was coming over here and something about his look just gave me the heebie jeebies. I had a feeling if I played the whole 'I just moved here for this guy' thing he'd go away, especially once I knew he knows you."

"Oh, don't worry about it, anyone else gives you the heebie jeebies, you know where to find me" I replied with a smile, noticing she was still holding my hand.

She laughed and said 'thanks' before whipping out a bottle of sunscreen and offering a deal of 'if you do me, I'll do you.' I swallowed, hard, but agreed and rubbed the sunscreen onto her smooth skin. Her skin is so soft.

As I rubbed it onto her back she let out a barely audible sigh. After I'd done her shoulders and back she turned to face me and asked if I wouldn't mind putting some on her face. How could I say no? So gently I applied some sunscreen onto her face, and then handed her the bottle, figuring she could do her legs, chest, and stomach. I really don't think I'd trust myself to just rub the sunscreen on her.

She quickly rubbed some onto herself, covering the rest of her exposed skin, and then poured some into her hands, looking at me with nervous eyes. Carefully she rubbed sunscreen onto my shoulders and arms, then my back and face. I was expecting her to hand me back the bottle so I could put some on my legs and chest, but Susannah poured some more into her hands and gently rubbed the lotion onto my chest and stomach. A chill went down my spine and I accidentally let out a slight moan from her touch, but she either didn't notice or pretended not to for my benefit.

After we were all covered in sunscreen I noticed CeeCee still hadn't returned. "Where's CeeCee?" I asked.

"She said she was just gonna call Adam and then meet us back here. I don't know what's taking her so long."

"You've been to this beach before, right? I mean CeeCee must have brought you" I said after a few moments.

"Actually no, it was freezing when I was here last time. It even rained the day I left" she replied.

"Come on, get up" I told her standing up, and offering her my hand. She stared at my hand for a moment before grabbing hold of it and getting up herself.

"Why am I standing?" she asked, not releasing my hand. Again my skin started tingling, and the already present butterflies in my stomach fluttered around even more.

"Because you've never been swimming on this coast, so I am taking you for your first official West Coast swim" I said pulling on her arm. She didn't move, just kept her feet firmly planted on the ground.

"Jesse, really, that's sweet, but no thanks" she declined, tugging me back to the blanket.

"Susannah" I sighed, "I am taking you swimming, by choice or force."

"Suze" she corrected me almost automatically, and then let go of my hand and folded her arms across her chest.

"Susannah" I repeated, "don't make me drag you to the shore." I couldn't help but smile slightly at her childishness as she stuck her tongue out at me and shook her head.

"Why don't you want to go swimming?" I questioned, "You can swim, right?"

"Of course I can swim" she shot back, "it's just…my hair."

"What about your hair?" I questioned feeling very confused.

"If I get it wet it'll frizz and it'll smell like the sand and ocean water" she said sheepishly.

"Well, yeah, but normally we go back to my house and shower. I've got a whole bunch of bathrooms because some of my sisters refused to share bathrooms, so my dad had to add on like three full bathrooms."

"Umm…yeah, I'm still not going in" she replied. I let out a disappointed sigh, but then swung Susannah over my shoulder and carried her fireman style to the shoreline.

The entire way there Susannah yelled at me to stop and put her down, slapping my back and kicking her legs. Once I felt wet sand under my toes I moved Susannah so that I was carrying her in my arms, and offered "If you stop resisting, I won't get your hair wet."

She stopped kicking and yelling, and looked me square in the eye, "Promise?"

I wadded out into the water, until it was up to my waist and sighed "No" before dropping Susannah into the water.

She reemerged, with playful anger in her eyes and promptly tackled me. We both went under and came up at the same time, laughing as we caught our breaths. "I'm so getting you back for that" she smiled, her eyes full of mischief.

"Really?" I asked, flashing her a smile.

"Yep, and when you least expect it" she said, trudging back towards the beach. I stared after her, watching her sway her hips, until she turned back and asked "Jesse, you coming?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah" I mumbled, catching up to her.

"So do have a boyfriend back home, or something?" Once the words were out of my mouth I couldn't believe I'd actually asked her that. It really wasn't any of my business. But I just had to know if this gorgeous creature had been snatched up already.

"Fake or real?" she laughed.

I laughed too, "either."

"Nope, just you" she said with a smile.

&&&

"Jeez, I leave for a little bit and you two are already best friends" CeeCee said as she sat down on the blanket across from Susannah and I. Susannah was trying to show me how to play slide, but I was failing miserably. She just laughed at my hopelessness, but continued anyway.

I don't know what it was about her, but I felt as if I'd known her all my life. She laughed at my jokes and made me laugh with her own. Something about her struck me, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but I wanted to know more about this girl. I wanted her too; I wanted her to be mine.

"A little bit?" both Susannah and I echoed. "Cee, you were gone for like three hours. Where'd you go?" Susannah asked, correcting my hands again.

"I was not gone for three hours, it's only…oh my gosh! I was gone for three hours" she said with a gasp, as she stared down at her watch.

"Where were you? We were starting to get a little worried" I asked, finally getting past five, but then messing up six. I put down my head in shame, and Susannah laughed. She patted my shoulder and added an "Don't worry, you'll get it, you just need some more practice." My skin tingled where she had touched me, and I loved how her fingers lingered on my skin for a few more moments.

"Oh yeah, you guys looked so worried" CeeCee teased. "Anyway, Adam is on his way over here, so he should be here in a few minutes, you guys mind if I go wait for him by the parking lot? I know how uncomfortable Jesse gets when we kiss and stuff."

Susannah looked over at me with an eyebrow raised. "I don't get uncomfortable when you kiss, it's when you start making out in front of me that I get uncomfortable" I corrected her. She blushed furiously and sent me a mean look before getting up and walking up the hill to the parking lot.

"Ewh, if it were up to me PDA would be limited to holding hands, hugging, and brief kisses" Susannah said. I nodded in agreement, and told her about how Adam and CeeCee get in these weird hands-all-over-each-other moods. "At least now I won't feel awkward all by myself. Sometimes they just start groping each other at lunch and stuff, its really gross."

"Ugh, I know the feeling, my best friend Gina, back in New York and her boyfriend would practically start humping in front of me. It was so uncomfortable" she explained with a shudder. I smiled over at her, and noticed how her eyes sparkled in the dimming sunlight, illuminating all her features.

I glanced over my shoulder at the sun, dipping lower in the sky by the minute, and saw a glowing figure off in the distance. One day, couldn't I just have one day without a ghost intruding. I stood up quickly and began to mumble something about being right back, but Susannah had done the same thing, and was eyeing me suspiciously.

"Funny how the sunlight can make people look like their glowing, huh?" she asked me, still eyeing me.

I looked at her, completely stunned. Could she see the ghost too? "Umm, yeah, like that guy over there" I said, nodding in the general direction of the ghost. He looked to be maybe a few years older than myself, and he was wearing swimming trunks.

"Jesse, walk with me" Susannah said, holding out her hand. I quickly reached out and held her hand as she led me towards the ghost. Once we were out of earshot of the other people at the beach Susannah stopped and turned to face me. She stood only a few inches away from me, looking up into my eyes with excitement. "Jesse, can you see him?" she asked me eagerly.

My eyes must have widened in shock because Susannah started laughing nervously and prattling on about how she'd gotten me.

"No, no, Susannah, I see him. But, if you can that means… you're a mediator" I explained excitedly.

"I know" she replied, "You're one too?"

"Yeah" I answered, "I thought maybe me and Father Dominic were the only two."

"I can't believe you're a mediator" she exclaimed with a brilliant smile that lit up her whole face. And the next thing I knew she threw her arms around me and held onto me. I wrapped my arms around her and noticed how perfectly she fit in my arms. It was almost as if we had been made to fit together like this.

We pulled apart after a few moments and gazed into each other's eyes, smiling brightly. Without a word, we grabbed hold of each other's hands and walked over to the ghost, smiles still plastered on our faces.

As we neared the ghost I noticed that he wasn't wearing swimming trunks, but shorts. They were black denim and a chain hung from his waist to his pocket. Besides that he wore a white wife beater and a pair of vans.

When we stood in front of him, he looked at us for a moment before his eyes bulged out. "You can see me!" he asked in shocked. Susannah and I looked at each other, knowing how annoying that question can become after you've heard it about a million times.

"Yes, we can. I'm Suze and this is Jesse. We're mediators, and we're here to help you move on to wherever it is you're supposed to after you die. What's your name?" Susannah asked with a friendly smile. I don't know if it was for his benefit or not, but I kept my eye on this guy. I noticed how he was eyeing her, and I didn't like it one bit.

"I'm Danny" he replied, "Danny Alderidge."

"Okay, Danny, how did you die?" I questioned, trying to finish up with this ghost ASAP. What? Is it a crime to want to spend time with an extremely beautiful girl who you happen to think is the girl of your dreams, literally?

"Well, me and a couple of my bros went to this sick party up in the valley. But this dude kept hassling us, saying that him and his crew could out skate us in their sleep. Well, we couldn't put up with that so we agreed to race. But he had it all fixed. Wiped out half my bros and when I told the rest to go back and help everyone else, he friggin' pushed me down some hill. Next thing I know I'm effin' glowing and staring down at myself all tangled up in some bushes, my neck all twisted and shit."

"So, you're mad at the guy that killed you?" Susannah asked with intrigue.

"Hell yeah, I'm pissed at him. But I just want to tell my mom where my body is. She's all freaking out cause she thinks I got kidnapped or something. My girlfriend too. She won't stop crying, and she's been practically attached to my mom. And she knows my mom don't like her much, but there she is, bawling her eyes out, and waiting to hear news about me" he explained.

"Well, give us your mom's address and where your body is, and we promise to tell your mom and your girlfriend" I said, glad knowing that this guy had a girlfriend whom he apparently cared for very much.

"Seriously bro?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, that's what we're here for" Susannah replied, giving my hand a slight squeeze.

&&&

"Where were you guys?" CeeCee asked, noticing Susannah and I walking back towards the blanket.

We had been discussing our favorite movies of all time,-mine being a tie between Boondock Saints, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and every Mel Brooks film ever made. Susannah's picks were Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Mel Brooks movies, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, The Princess Bride, and just about every Will Ferrell movie. (This is what led me to believe that I have indeed met the girl of my dreams)- when CeeCee's voice had caught our attention.

After we'd gotten all of Danny's info we went over to his mom's house. We told her we'd been at the party, but decided to leave early. We explained to her that we had been walking back to my house and saw two skaters fly by. Susannah added that we hadn't thought anything of it, but that less than a minute later one skater went by us again. And that the other skater never passed by us. Susannah said we'd heard about how her son was missing and thought that she might want to know that we might have seen him. Mrs. Alderidge asked us if we would be able to identify the skaters if we saw them again, but we said that it was too dark to see their features, only what the skaters were wearing. Danny's mother and girlfriend thanked us for telling them and quickly called the police to inform them. On the drive home the radio DJ announced that the body of Danny Alderidge had been found, giving Susannah and I a big feeling of accomplishment.

On the way back to the beach, we had agreed to partner up on ghosts that were being difficult, or that we just needed an extra hand with. Susannah had actually suggested it, saying that if the ghosts here were anything like the ones back in Brooklyn she knew we could both use the assistance. I had eagerly agreed, just thinking that this would guarantee me time with her.

"Oh, we just went for a drive" I lied, sending Susannah a sly smile. She gave me my own smile and then said to CeeCee, in almost the exact voice, "Answer me, these question three."

"Ugh, not you too Suze. I swear when he first saw that movie in like the eighth grade that's all he talked about for weeks and weeks. I got so fed up with hearing about I finally just went and saw it, but I was only mildly entertained" CeeCee whined, shaking her head in my direction.

"Awh, I didn't even get to ask you the questions" Susannah sighed, pouting her lips. This girl is officially going to be the death of me. She wasn't even pouting at me, yet I wanted nothing more than to appease her and make her smile.

"Maybe some other time" CeeCee replied.

"Where's Adam?" I asked noticing his absence.

"Bathroom" CeeCee answered.

"Ooo, I finally get to meet the mysterious Adam, eh?" Susannah asked CeeCee.

"Yeah" CeeCee said smiling wistfully.

"This should be interesting" I mumbled, knowing that sooner, more likely than later Adam would hit on Susannah, turning on his charm and probably sweeping her off her feet. Great, now I'm screwed.

"Well hello there" Adam practically whistled, leering at Susannah.

"Hi" she chimed, while I daydreamed about beating the crap out of Adam for even thinking of adding Susannah to his long list of girlfriends. I could hear Susannah talking to Adam and CeeCee, laughing at something, but it seemed far off as I continued to mentally bash Adam.

"Jesse, you okay?" Susannah whispered to me.

"Yeah, I'm just great" I mumbled back solemnly.

"Can you guys excuse us for a sec? I gotta talk to Jesse" Susannah said, grabbing my arm and steering me towards the outer part of the beach, where there were huge rocks, and people rarely ventured unless they were going to make out and didn't want to be seen.

"Okay, what's going on?" Susannah asked when we out of earshot from everyone on the beach.

"Nothing" I sighed, not wanting to sound possessive of something that wasn't even mine.

"Not nothing" Susannah chirped, "Jesse, I know we haven't known each that long but I feel really connected to you, and when Adam showed up I could feel you tense up like you weren't too happy to see him. Now I'll ask you again, what's going on?"

I sighed and then relented, ranting "Susannah, Adam has a collection of girlfriends bigger than a navy fleet, and when he showed up, I just knew he was gonna try to add you to that collection. I don't know what it is about him, but he manages to charm his way into the heart of just about every girl he meets. And I just knew that if Adam charmed you too, than I'd never have a shot."

Susannah stared at me for a moment before replying, with a shy smile "Jesse, CeeCee is one of my best friends, I'd never mess with her boyfriend. Besides that I don't find Adam attractive at all. And to add to that, he's your best friend, so messing with him would not only really hurt Cee, but you too. So, since we've established that I'm not going for the Adam charm, I'll let you in a little secret. Your chances with me are looking pretty damn good."

I smiled as I felt my cheeks warm, but now that I was feeling empowered and figured I might as well do something before I lost my nerve. "So, would it be too forward of me to ask you out right now?"

Susannah in return simply smiled and leaned in real close to me. "Yes."

I lowered my head feeling stupid for even asking.

"No! No, Jesse, I meant that yes I'd love to go out with you" she reassured me, laying a hand on my chest. My skin started tingling again, and without even thinking I pulled Susannah as close to me as possible and lightly placed my lips on her's.

After a few glorious seconds my mind kicked into high gear and I realized what I was doing. Quickly I pulled away from Susannah and started apologizing about being such a jerk, and telling her how sorry I was for being so aggressive. But my lips were tingling even more than they had been this morning. Maybe CeeCee was right, maybe today I did meet the best kisser I was ever gonna kiss.

She looked dazed for a minute before placing a finger on my lips and sighing all contently, "Jesse, you never have to apologize for that. That was…amazing."

I stared at her in disbelief and then replied, "Really? I mean it really was, but-"

"Jesse" she said interrupting me, "you're ruining the moment, just shut up and kiss me again."

Well, if she insisted.


	30. Chapter 29

Okay, so I guess I kind of lost some of you guys with the last chapter, so let me clear things up. The last chapter wasn't a dream. Jesse and Suze get 2 days in each universe and they had 2 days in the other universe, so now they're switched. This part two of the first day they have in this universe and then after the 2nd day they have to decide which universe they want to continue living in, permanently.

I you guys have any other questions or you're still not understanding what's going on please feel free to ask me, I want you guys to understand what's going on so you can enjoy the story.

I'll try and have the next chapter up by the beginning of next week if not the end of this week. Enjoy! -Lauren

:Chapter 29:

"I don't get it" Adam was saying, "normally you're all weird around girls, but with Suze, the hottest girl I've seen all year, you turn on the charm a little and she's hooked. And in less than 24 hours! What's so different about her? You've practically been shunning all women since like forever, but now you've gone and hooked a mysterious East Coast hottie."

I had to laugh at that. "Adam, I don't know what it is about her, but it felt weird when we first met, like maybe we already knew each other. And all day we've just been talking and laughing, and enjoying each other's company."

"And making out" Adam added with a wolfish grin.

I felt my cheeks flush and desperately willed them to stop once I noticed that Susannah and CeeCee were returning from the bathroom. CeeCee slid in next to Adam and cozied up next to him, while Susannah sat besides me and gave me a big smile.

"What did you tell CeeCee about what happened?" I whispered, already knowing that CeeCee had undoubtedly asked Susannah while they were in the restroom, about the lip lock she'd caught us in.

"Nothing much, just told her a brief explanation; she doesn't need to know all the details" she replied still smiling at me. I tried to very subtly drape my arm around the back of our side of the booth, and in truth just tried getting closer to Susannah. "Very smooth" she teased, scooting closer to me, as I finally had my arm relaxing on the back of the booth. I smiled and tried to stop blushing.

I looked up to take a drink from my shake when I saw CeeCee and Adam, completely all over each other. CeeCee was practically in Adam's lap and you could clearly see Adam's hands traveling up CeeCee's back, towards the tie on her bathing suit top.

Susannah must have noticed my disgusted face because she looked over and asked "What-Oh my God!"

I quickly averted my gaze and trained my eyes on Susannah. She quickly followed suit and was desperately trying to not look back. "WOW" she sighed, "It's almost like an eclipse; you want to watch it in amazement, but know that if you do your eyes will burn and you might just go blind."

I nodded in agreement and wanted nothing more than to get out of here right now. "Susannah, do you want to get out of here, we could…do anything, just something to get us away from them right now" I questioned.

"Yes!" she cheered, pointing at Adam and CeeCee, or at least the indiscernible pile of entangled limbs they'd become, "I've got to get away from that." She quickly slid out of the booth while I got out my wallet to pay for our part of the bill. "How much for my shake and burger?" Susannah asked pulling her wallet from her purse. "I've got it, don't worry" I assured her thinking she had to be the most thoughtful girl ever. No other girl I know would have even offered to pay for her part of the bill. "Jesse, seriously, how much?" she asked smiling but looking a little annoyed. "It's taken care of" I said dropping a twenty on the table for our part of the bill and steering her towards the door. "I don't wanna be a moocher, I feel bad when people pay for stuff for me" she whined. "Don't feel bad, think of it as a thank you for…teaching me how to play slide" I rationalized for her, and took her wallet from her hand and put it back in her purse. She laughed and shook her head, her chestnut waves bouncing around.

When we got to my car Susannah paused for a second before pinning me against my car and bringing her lips up to mine. Her entire body was pressed up against me, keeping me against the car, and her fingers were tangled up in my hair making my scalp tingle. She pulled away after a while and smiled; seemingly pleased with the dazed state her kiss left me in. That was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen anyone do, and it was the greatest kiss I'd ever experienced. This kiss was one for the records.

"What…What was that for?" I asked when my brain was functioning again.

"I don't know, seeing CeeCee and Adam in there made me want to kiss you. Is it weird that I just did that?"

"No, definitely not weird. Good, very good" I answered. She smiled up at me and let me open the door for her, before hopping in.

"So, where are we off to?" she asked once I was behind the wheel.

"I'm not sure. What do you feel like doing?"

"You kidnapped me, you're supposed to have a plan" she countered.

"We could go back to my house, watch some movies and stuff" I offered.

"Is your house empty?" she questioned looking kind of nervous.

"No, it's almost never empty actually" I admitted, "my sisters should all be home, and my mom might be there too, unless she's working late again."

"Your mom's working on a Saturday?" she asked unbelievingly.

"Yeah, she's been taking all the odd hours no one wants plus all the overtime she can get. She likes to keep busy when my dad's gone, says it keeps her from missing him as much" I explained.

"Awh" she sighed, "you really sure you want to introduce me to all your sisters. I've heard horror stories about them, but if you think you can scare me, you've got another thing coming. My best friend Gina's little brother is a devil child and trust me, when it comes to him it's the quality of the torture not the quantity of the kids."

I laughed and said, "Who said I was going to introduce you? I was going to sneak you in through the back door and hold you captive in my room."

She mock punched my arm but smiled despite herself. "Very funny" she teased.

I chuckled and started the drive back to my house, "Don't worry about my sisters, just don't be scared of them, if they smell fear, you're done for."

"Thanks for the advice."

&&&

"Jesse, I will never forgive you! Mapi ate some of that weird green stuff in that blue tupperware, and threw up all over the carpet in the tv room" Marta yelled from the kitchen before huffing into the front entrance and staring at me and Susannah seemingly in dumb shock.

"Marta, this is my…friend Susannah" I said introducing my oldest sister to Susannah. "Susannah, this is my sister Marta."

Marta stared at Susannah some more before mumbling "Suze?"

I looked at Susannah and noticed she seemed to be trying to place Marta somehow. "I know you from somewhere, right?" Susannah asked Marta.

Marta smiled and said something in French, with a smile on her face. Susannah replied in French and went over and hugged Marta happily. How did everyone know this perfect girl and not tell me about her!

"Marta, **you** know Susannah?" I asked incredulously.

"Jesse, Suze is my French pen pal. I told you we had to have a pen pal for French class and I mentioned it to CeeCee when she was over here one day. She told me her friend Suze from New York needed a new French pen pal cause her old one moved out of the country, so Suze and me started talking online and we agreed to be pen pals" she said finally releasing Susannah.

"I remember you telling me you were coming here but you said you were gonna be hanging out with CeeCee, not this goof" she said to Susannah, pointing at me, "I wasn't expecting to see you until Monday at school." I shot her a sharp glance and motioned for Susannah to follow me away from Marta.

Susannah sent me an understanding nod before saying to Marta, "Well, this goof happens to be my friendly kidnapper. So I'm gonna go play captive and watch some movies. But now that I'm here we have to hang out and talk. Maybe practice some French."

"Ooo, yeah. Maybe not the French part, but I agree with the rest" Marta replied. They laughed and then Susannah gave her a little finger wave before following me into the other room and walking back through the house to the tv room.

"How is it that you know so many people around me, but you and me never talked or anything?" I asked feeling like I had been gypped on communication with Susannah.

"I really don't know. I mean it does seem odd that I knew your sister and your best friend, but never got around to chatting with you. I mean I knew about you, cause I've been told some stories about you, but CeeCee never said anything about how I should talk to you or anything. Although I didn't know that CeeCee's best friend and Marta's older brother were the same person. Man, I feel like I got left out of the Jesse loop," she said with a smile twitching onto her lips.

This girl thinks like me, has the same weird sense of humor as me, and she likes kissing me, I think I've found the perfect girl for me.

I smiled at her as we reached the tv room, but my smile faded. There were three overwhelming smells present. The first was throw up, which someone attempted to clean up with some kind of lemon smelling cleaner, and then some flower air freshener was thickly lacing the air, creating a putrid smell.

"Ohmigosh!" Susannah yelped, covering her nose, "That smells so gross." With the hand that wasn't covering my nose I grabbed Susannah and led her back down the hall to the kitchen before pulling her up the stairs after me.

"I guess my room is our only option," I said finally removing my hand from my nose and trying to remember if I had cleaned my room this morning or recently.

"Okay" Susannah chimed as we reached my door, "You wanna go in there and tidy up a bit before I enter your lair?"

I laughed, but thanked my lucky stars that she'd suggested that. "Yeah, I just have to put some stuff away, my sisters are always messing with my stuff. I'll just be a second," I said rushing into my room and picking up everything off the floor. I threw my floor mess into my closet and shut the door, then set to work on haphazardly making my bed. After I was finished I rushed back to the door and let Susannah in.

"You must either be not that messy or a really fast cleaner" she said with a smile, as she took in my room. After glancing around a little she plopped herself onto my bed and asked, "So, what are we watchin'?"

&&&

After laughing through Blazing Saddles and Monty Python and The Holy Grail, Susannah and I were laying across my bed, talking. I took her hand in mine after a few minutes and she gave my hand a squeeze.

"Do you think today counted as a date?" she asked sitting up, her hand still in mine.

"I guess it could, if we each agreed that it was a date, then we could count it as one" I replied gazing up at her. The fading sunlight coming in through my window was giving her a pinkish, orange glow, which made her look even more beautiful.

"Well, if I agreed to call it a date, would you agree?" Susannah questioned looking at me, with a smile forming on her lips.

"Yeah" I said, "I think I would. But only if that means I get to kiss you again."

"Hmmm" she sighed with a chuckle before I pulled her back down onto my mattress and leaned over her. "Was that a yes?" I asked, my mouth moving on hers as I spoke.

"It was more like a 'just shut up and kiss me already', actually" she replied, with a smirk.

I pressed my lips to hers, and we both melted into the kiss.

Her lips made me feel things I'd never felt before. She excited me in a way no one else ever had, and it was like she kissed me with pent up emotion. Maybe she'd wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss her.

As I touched my tongue to her mouth, and she parted her lips, that word rang through my head again. 'Querida.' I knew Susannah must be my querida. There was no other explanation for the way she was making me feel, and how it seemed as if I'd known her my whole life, when we'd only just met early this morning.

After making out for a while, I put on 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and Susannah laid her head on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and twirled a piece of her hair absentmindedly. Half way through the movie my eyelids starting feeling heavy and I figured I'd just wake myself up in about an hour. Yeah, just a nap.

&&&

"Crap, crap, crap, crap" I heard someone muttering as they ran around my room. I peeked open my eyes and saw Susannah nervously running around my room, holding one shoe in her hand.

"Susannah?" I asked sleepily, "what's wrong? What are you looking for?"

Her head snapped in my direction and when she saw me, the nervous look on her face melted away a little. She gave me an embarrassed smile before asking, "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, don't worry about it. What's wrong?"

"I…I can't find my other shoe" she admitted holding up one of her black flip-flops.

I got up from my bed and looked around my room. "Where did you find that one?" I questioned.

She blushed slightly and averted her gaze from my eyes before saying, "By the closet, I guess I sort of kicked my shoes off when we were making out."

I smiled thinking back to the feel of Susannah's lips against my own, before focusing on finding her other sandal. After looking around some we finally found the missing flip-flop over by my bathroom door.

"What time is it? Do you want me to give you a ride home?" I asked, glancing back at the clock on my nightstand. 7:00.

WHAT! "Oh shit" I mumbled.

"Is that clock right?" she asked her voice sounding kind of high pitched.

I just nodded, feeling unable to speak.

"Ah crap" she sighed before digging through her purse and pulling out her cell phone. "I have to call CeeCee and make sure she knows I'm okay. Can we get out of here without anyone seeing us?"

"Yeah, but we have to climb out my bathroom window. Do you want to borrow some clothes? It gets kind of foggy and cold in the morning, especially this early. And a skirt isn't the best thing to wear when climbing out a second floor window."

"Umm, I guess. Thanks. Let me call CeeCee before she gives herself a heart attack worrying about me," she said before hitting speed dial 7.

Uh oh, I have to open my closet to get out clothes. I figured I'd just stall as long as possible.

Susannah was mumbling quickly to CeeCee, her eyes giving away the fact that she was lying her butt off. Not that it really bothered me, I knew how it would sound to someone if Susannah said she'd stayed the night with me. Especially since we were alone in my bedroom. After a few more minutes of flat out lying to CeeCee, Susannah disconnected and dropped her phone back into her purse.

"Uh, can I use your bathroom?" Susannah asked shyly.

"Oh, yeah. I have an extra toothbrush in the medicine cabinet if you want to use it, and the toothpaste is right next to it" I said leading her to the bathroom and pointing to the medicine cabinet over my sink. She looked a little embarrassed, probably feeling self conscious about morning breath. Just to ease her embarrassment I lightly placed a kiss on her lips and told her to take her time. She smiled, the embarrassment seemingly forgotten, and walked into my bathroom, closing the door behind her.

After a few moments I rushed back to my closet and opened the door. All the mess I'd stuffed in last night spilled out in a pile by my feet. I really need to do some laundry, I told myself, before grabbing two clean shirts and two pairs of jeans. I grabbed a hat too, figuring that if by chance someone did see us leaving, I could just say that Adam had stayed over.

After tossing the clean clothes onto my bed I stuffed all my floor mess back into my closet and shut the door. Susannah emerged from the bathroom just then, looking refreshed and beautiful as always.

I walked over to my bed and grabbed the smallest clothes I had and handed them to her.

"You got me a whole outfit?" she asked, her eyebrows raising inquisitively.

"If by chance, someone does see us I don't want to ruin your reputation around here, so I figured you could wear these. If someone sees us I'll just say Adam crashed here" I explained placing the hat on her head. She smiled up at me and said, "thanks Jesse. I'll change in here so you can use the bathroom."

"Okay" I replied grabbing my other set of clothes and going into the bathroom. I rushed around brushing my teeth and changing, all the while attempting to not spit toothpaste all over myself. Once I was done I asked Susannah through the door if she was decent.

"Yeah" she called back, "I'm ready to roll."

I opened the door and couldn't help but smile at Susannah. Even though she was wearing my smallest clothes they still fit her loosely and hung off her small frame. The shirt went to a few inches above her knees and the pants were way to big, the legs pooling over her feet. She had tucked her hair into the baseball cap and didn't look too thrilled about her appearance or the laughter I was clearly trying to hold in.

"Maybe shorts would be a better choice" I offered opening a drawer and pulling out a pair of denim shorts, glad I didn't keep them in my closet. She took the shorts and waddled into the bathroom. After a few moments she emerged. The shorts actually fit her like pants, but she was holding them up with one hand. "I need a belt" she said, "and don't laugh at me, I already know ridiculous I look."

I grabbed a belt from another drawer and carefully put it on for her. "This is really weird" I confessed, "I know you're supposed to look like a guy, but seeing you in my clothes is kind of…sexy."

She looked at me with wide eyes and a playful smile. "Really? You think I look sexy in your clothes?"

I gulped and felt heat on my cheeks. "Uhh…well…"

Susannah laughed and walked over to me, leaving only about an inch between us.

Slowly her lips inched towards mine and without thinking I touched my lips to her's. She pulled away after a few moments, leaving me wanting more.

"Jesse, I gotta get home. I have to be somewhere at 10" she said, her lips still close to mine.

"We have plenty of time" I assured her reaching for her lips again. She gave me a brief peck before grabbing her purse and then walking towards to bathroom.

"Querida, we can leave in a few minutes" I whined catching up to her and tugging on her arm.

She turned around to face me and said "What?" wrinkling her nose a little.

I smiled at how cute she looked before kissing her again. This time she dropped her purse and welcomed my lips.

"Alrighty then, ready to go?" I asked smiling like a fool.

"Yeah" she sighed, "What did you call me before? What's kee-ri-da?"

I chuckled and pecked her cheek. "I'll tell you some other time."

"But I wanna know now" she said pouting.

I grabbed her purse for her and tugged her into the bathroom with me, closing and locking the door behind us. "Later, I promise" I told her opening my bathroom window. "I'm gonna go down first, then you can throw your purse down and climb out after" I said swinging my leg out the window and stepping on the garage roof. I went to the edge of the roof by the patch of grass I always land on and jumped down. I watched as Susannah climbed out the window and then tossed her purse in my general direction. She carefully walked towards the edge where I had gone down and looked at me. "Jump down and I'll catch you" I told her. She nodded and jumped down right into my waiting arms. I smiled at her before picking up her purse and starting towards my car.

"Jesse, you know I **can** walk," she said with a smile.

"Oh right" I replied blushing before gently setting her down. "Come on, let's get you home."

&&&

"I still can't believe you live less than a mile from my house. I mean, you're closer to me than CeeCee and I used to walk to her house all the time" I said as we pulled to a stop in front of 99 Pine Crest.

"Yeah, it is kind of weird, but very cool. Now you can walk over to my house all the time" she sighed, unbuckling her seat belt and turning to face me. I reached over and removed my baseball cap from Susannah's head and watched as her hair fell in waves over her shoulders. She smiled over at me as I tucked a few locks of her hair behind her ear.

Suddenly her eyes looked worried and she said, "Jesse-"

"Your clothes" I interrupted, remembering she'd left her wife beater and denim mini skirt at my house. "I can bring them by here later if you want."

She looked at me for a moment before smiling shyly. "Oh, yeah. Thanks, that'd be great. But…okay, here's the thing…The thing is…Jesse…I really, really like you, it's just…. No, forget I said that, it sounds like I'm breaking up with you. Which I'm not!" she explained when she noticed my worried expression at her words. "Ugh…okay…I can do this. Listen, Jesse, I don't want you to get the wrong idea about me. I mean, the last guy I kissed I went out with for six months and we didn't even kiss until like our fifth date. But that's not my point. I just don't want you to think I'm easy or a slut or something, cause I've never kissed a guy only having known him for a few hours" she said, taking a deep breath afterward.

"Susannah, I would never consider you to be a slut, or easy. It was my fault for being too forward. I apologize if I pressured you into anything and-"

"Jesse, you didn't pressure me into anything. I was more than consenting. I just think we should maybe slow things down and get to know each other better before we start getting all physical again. Don't get me wrong, I love kissing you, it's just…I want to really get the whole kissing experience. You know, like getting that first kiss after an amazing date. I want the tenderness you can only feel when you're really with that person.

"If, you know, you aren't willing to get involved with me then I can accept that. I mean I admit I'll be kind of hurt, but I can deal. I mean I'm a big girl, and I can handle just about anyth-"

"Querida" I said interrupting her again, "you're starting to ramble."

"I do that when I get nervous" she replied blushing.

"Susannah, I want to be involved with you, and I want what you described, exactly how you described it. I believe that when you're with someone you can express how you feel for that person better than when you're just friends" I told her. "So, Susannah Simon, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner and a movie on Saturday night?"

She smiled brightly and nodded her head; "This is getting repetitive. But, yes, I'd love to go out with you, Jesse."

"Alright, well I'll drop your clothes off later. Call me whenever it's a good time to bring them over" I said.

"Actually, before you leave, could you help me climb onto my garage? I can't let my stepbrothers see me like this," she asked.

I smiled and got out of my car before going around and opening Susannah's door for her.

"You've lived here for less than a day and already you know how to sneak out and back in?" I questioned with a smirk.

"Hey, a girls gotta know her way around her home."

&&&

"Jeez Jesse, I called a while ago but Marta said you were holed up in your bathroom doing God knows what" CeeCee said as I took the phone from my mom in the kitchen. "I even tried your cell a couple times but nothing. What were you doing?"

"Uhh…cleaning" I lied, taking the phone with me into the living room and away from my mother, lest she hear the obvious lie I was telling CeeCee.

"Cleaning" CeeCee repeated, "Cleaning?"

"Yes, cleaning. I cleaned my bathroom. And then I had to shower and shave. Any other questions?" I asked desperately hoping she'd notice my tone and change the subject.

"So, you were cleaning, huh? And while you were _cleaning_ your bathroom, which by the way I think is a big fat lie, were you alone?"

"Yeah" I replied slowly, "I normally don't lock myself in my bathroom with other people, while I'm cleaning."

"Hmm…" she sighed, "Funny coincidence that you were locked in your bathroom _cleaning_ at about the same time Suze mysteriously got back to her house. Another odd little coincidence is that David, Suze's little stepbrother saw a car that looked exactly like yours, license plate number and all, right in front of their house right before Suze snuck into her room."

I couldn't think. I knew I was now in trouble. CeeCee doesn't like being lied to; she gets enough of that from Adam.

"And ya know Suze was supposed to stay over at my house last night but you two just disappeared on me and Adam, leaving me to panic over what happened. That's why I called David, to see if Suze had gone home, but he said she hadn't and that she hadn't called either. So, I'm thinking either you're a big, fat liar and Suze and you stayed somewhere **together **last night, or Suze went off somewhere by herself, which I don't think happened, and she called you for a ride home this morning. So Jesse, are you the big, fat liar, or the nice guy that just gave Suze a ride home?"

"Umm…can I be neither?" I asked shakily.

"HECTOR 'JESSE' DE SILVA!" she screamed, making me partially deaf in my ear. "Did you and Suze sleep together!"

"CeeCee, this is more of a face-to-face conversation, can we meet up somewhere to talk?"

"Oh my gosh, you did! Oh my gosh! Jesse! How could you do that? Oh my gosh! Umm…come pick me up from my house, and then we're getting Suze so you two can explain to me what the hell is going on" she said before disconnecting.

Uh oh.

&&&

CeeCee slid into the passenger seat without a word, her eyes unfocused.

"Hi" I mumbled trying to make the awkward silence stop.

"Where are we going?" I asked, again trying to clear the air, a few minutes later.

"To get Suze," she said dully.

"Umm…we can't" I replied after a glance at the in-dash clock. 10:15, Susannah was supposed to be somewhere at 10.

"Why not?" she questioned looking a little concerned.

"Well, she said she had to be somewhere at 10, and its 10:15, so… yeah."

"Oh, yeah, her dance class. Fine, let's go to the Clutch, I have a feeling I'm going to need a major caffeine buzz for this explanation."

"Dance class? Susannah's in a dance class?"

"Yeah, she's taking a hip-hop class as a refresher. But today she was meeting with some dance group leader she met a few months ago. She might perform with the group at the Father Serra festival" CeeCee answered.

"Wow, I didn't know" I sighed.

"There's a lot you don't know about Suze, Jesse. I thought I knew you two so well, but then you guys do this and I can't help but think that I hardly knew you guys at all."

"CeeCee, me and Susannah didn't sleep together, at least not in the sense you're thinking of" I assured her.

"What do mean 'not in the sense I'm thinking of'?"

"Last night me and Susannah went back to my house to watch movies. And that's what happened. We watched movies and talked. And I guess we just both got tired and we ended up falling asleep. Nothing like what you're thinking about happened" I explained pulling into a parking space at the Coffee Clutch.

"So… that's why you had to sneak around this morning, to get her home?" she asked.

"CeeCee, we both know that if someone would have seen us leaving my house it would bring suspicion upon me and Susannah's relationship. She just got here and I don't want to ruin her reputation, that's why we were sneaking around trying to get her home."

CeeCee smiled, "Now there's the Jesse I know."


	31. Chapter 30

Sorry, I know I said I'd have this chapter up by the beginning of this week but I had some computer issues and I really have to finish my summer reading before school starts. Hope you guys enjoy! –Lauren

Clarification if you're still confused: this is another part of the two days Jesse and Suze get in this universe. They switched into this universe at the end of chapter 27.

Chapter 30

"How is that I always end up getting suckered into doing these things for you?"

"Hey you should be grateful I'm letting you pick up Suze from her dance class, it'll give you guys some bonding time" CeeCee said giving me a pat on my back.

"But after what happened this morning I don't think she'll want to see me" I protested.

"Jesse, Suze has only ever kissed four other guys in her entire life, not including you, and she really, really liked or loved each of them before she kissed them. She's just trying to keep from getting hurt; it's like a defense mechanism. Trust me, you'll win her over, just give her some time" CeeCee advised me as Adam pulled up in behind my parked car. He gave me a nod and wave out the window before telling CeeCee to climb in.

"Call me later to tell me what happened. Later Jesse" she said giving me a hug. I hugged her back and then got into my car.

I sat in my car for a while thinking things over, trying to clear my head, but not succeeding. Susannah has kissed four other guys in her life. I've only ever kissed two, girls I mean, and one was a friend of my family's, and she shouldn't even really count. I didn't even like the girl, but my parents told me to be nice to her and spend time with her. Her idea of spending time together was her trying to kiss me. I don't think she understood how annoying I found her.

I looked at my in-dash clock and noticed I had just enough time to run home for Susannah's clothes before I was supposed to pick her up after her dance class. Ugh.

&&&

I got to a strip mall a little less than a mile from school in record time. Susannah's class wasn't supposed to get out for another 20 minutes. I looked around but didn't see any of the spaces with a sign that read 'dance studio'. I whipped out my cell phone and called CeeCee.

"Hey Jesse, what's up?" she asked cheerfully.

"Where exactly is the dance studio Susannah's supposed to be in? I'm at the strip mall near the school and I don't see it" I replied driving around the parking lot.

"Okay, you know where the Starbucks is?"

"Which one?" I questioned looking at the drive through and then at the Vons with a Starbucks inside.

"The drive through one. Pass the drive through entrance and turn left after the dry cleaners. Follow that little alleyway for a while and then it should be directly in front of you" she told me.

"It's in an alleyway?" I asked incredulously.

"Just get Suze" she sighed before disconnecting.

I followed CeeCee's instructions and arrived at Maxine's Dance Studio. I parked in the nearest space and walked over to the studio. I went in through the front door and found myself standing in a small hallway. Off to my left were what looked like offices and then a bathroom. To my right was a large window and then a set of doors. I walked closer to the window and looked inside. There was a group of about ten people in the studio. Another guy sat in a folding chair by a stereo system and watched the group dance. I scanned the group and saw a couple people from school. I didn't personally know any of them but I knew two of them were in my grade. And then my eyes landed on Susannah.

She was swaying her hips and dancing around doing some complicated steps and then doing a flip and landing in some guy's arms. I stared at her, my mouth agape, amazed at her talent. Not only was she a great dancer but she definitely had the body for it.

She was wearing a shredded denim mini skirt, a lot shorter than the one she'd had on yesterday, with black leggings underneath, and a stretchy lavender halter-top that only reached just above her belly button. She had her hair tied up into a messy bun and she was glistening slightly.

I guess the song ended because the whole group stopped and stared expectantly at the guy by the stereo. He smiled at them and said some stuff to them. I couldn't hear anything from out here, I guess the room was sound proof or something.

A couple of girls I didn't recognize gathered up their stuff and left through the door nearest me. They looked at me carefully eyeing me from head to toe. I didn't think they were checking me out or anything, in fact the way they'd looked at me made me feel unwanted and like I shouldn't be there. Good thing I don't really care what they think, Susannah is in there dancing and looking incredibly sexy, which means not even an earthquake could move me. When they left they had propped the door open and I could hear Susannah laughing with the rest of the group.

"Alright, today was good. I'm glad you all were able to help make Suze feel welcome and I think she'll make a great addition to the group" the guy by the stereo said. "Now you all can go but I want Suze, Angela, Megan, Aaron, James, and Ben to stay after, I wanna go over the choreography for a couple songs with them. Great practice today and remember to keep practicing the routines during the week. I'll see you guys on Wednesday" he said waving off a few of the other group members. They left after getting together their stuff and again I received the glare of hostility.

"Okay, I want to make sure you guys know the choreography for the dances you guys are going to be doing for the Father Serra thingy coming up" the director guy said, "Have you girls decided on costumes?"

"Yeah" one of the girls said, "For the whole performance we only get one costume right?"

"Right" the director guy answered.

"Okay" said another girl, "I'm gonna be wearing a variation of the green dress thingy from 'S.O.S.'. Angela is gonna wear something like the white tank top and black shorts thingy with the suspenders from "Ain't No Other Man", and Suze over here is gonna be Miss Thang and wear the black outfit, with the fishnets from 'S.O.S." All the guys were smiling at each other and looking like they couldn't wait to see the girls in their costumes. I didn't appreciate that.

"Sounds good to me" the director guy said, "just make sure you girls aren't showing too much skin. You show stomach or too much leg and Father Dominic will have a coronary." They nodded in understanding and waited for the director guy to speak again.

"Okay, so from the songs you guys gave me, Father Dominic eliminated a couple so you guys don't have that much to remember."

"What'd he cut?" asked one of the guys.

The director guy reached over and picked up a clipboard, reading over the sheet clipped to the front. "Umm…he pulled the plug on "London Bridges" after he heard the song, same for "SexyBack" and "Bossy". But we have "S.O.S.", "Ain't No Other Man" which I practically had to beg for, and "Déjà vu".

"Now I wanna see you guys do "S.O.S." at least once and then I'll let you guys go. Everyone remember their partners?"

"Yeah" they all replied partnering up.

Susannah was partnered up with a guy I kind of recognized. I knew I'd seen him, but I couldn't remember exactly where. He smiled at her and whispered something in her ear that made her smile and blush a little. He has to go I thought to myself, mentally cracking my knuckles. But I stopped, when Susannah whispered back to him and he grinned at her. I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. I turned around, my back facing the wall and slid down the wall, sitting down. I stretched my legs out in front of me and thought I should have stayed in the car. Damn my curiosity.

"I need a new pair of eyes to see this, someone's input on changes to make" the director guy mumbled and walked out of the room. He spotted me on the floor and gave me a friendly smile. "Hello" he said, "I know this may seem rather odd but would you mind watching some dancers perform a song. I swear they're really great."

"Uhh…I…I don't know" I stammered thinking Susannah probably wouldn't be happy to see me, especially since she was expecting CeeCee here.

"Oh come on, we've got some hot girls shaking their asses around in there, it'll be great" he replied pulling me up to my feet.

"Still, I…I'm not sure…I mean, I'm supposed to wait for someone-"

"Hey Miss Thang, get out here and convince this dude to watch you guys perform" he called to someone inside the room, "maybe a gorgeous girl like yourself can convince him."

"Yeah go on Miss Thang" the others in the group teased. I heard light footsteps near the doorway and Susannah tell the director guy "You call me Miss Thang again and I'll give you a black eye bigger than your face."

"Ah, always a lady, so nice to hear the younger generations respecting their elders" the guy replied before stepping back into the room. "Bring the dude back in with you" he called back.

I turned around and started to power walk towards the door, hoping Susannah wouldn't come after me. No such luck.

"Hey, get your butt back here" she said jogging to catch up to me. She grabbed hold of my arm and tried to turn me around or get me to stop walking, but I wouldn't let her.

"Wait a minute, I know you. Would you quit walking away, I'm not letting you leave" she told me. She let out a small gasp when she let go of my arm. "Jesse, what the hell are you doing here?"

I stopped walking and dropped my head down. Shit. I turned around slowly and figured it was best to stall an explanation for my presence.

"Uhh…how did you know it was me?" I asked lifting my head up to look Susannah in the eye. Big mistake. I couldn't lie to her, especially to her face. And especially when she was looking kind of amused by me.

She blushed slightly but wore a smirk on her face. "I'd recognize your nice butt anywhere."

I looked at her with wide eyes. She recognized me by my WHAT!

"Now why are you here? You aren't following me around are you? Cause that would totally ruin your cute image for me." Then she self-consciously started tugging her shirt down, trying to cover her exposed stomach. I almost wanted to tell her to stop but then I realized she'd just called me 'cute'.

"Cute?" I asked. Great the girl I like thinks I'm cute.

She laughed at the face I'd made and replied, "Okay not cute, more like hot."

Hot was better, I could live with hot. It may not be sexy, but I could definitely live with hot.

"CeeCee couldn't-"

"I'm starting to think CeeCee might not be the most reliable person" she interrupted. "Now come on, you gotta watch us do this one song or Josh'll never let us leave."

"Are you sure you want me to go in there? I mean if you don't feel comfortable with me watching I'd be okay with that. I know if it were me in there-"

"Jesse" she said with a laugh, "you're starting to ramble."

"Sorry" I sighed running my fingers through my hair.

"Come on, just watch us dance and then we can talk about this, okay"

"Okay" I mumbled following behind her as she led the way back into the dance room. I watched her hips sway as she confidently strode back towards the dance room. And I will admit my eyes traveled a little south of her hips, but I couldn't exactly help it.

"Would you stop" she sighed before we reached the doorway and turned around to face me. She stopped so suddenly that I nearly crashed into her and there were only a couple inches in between us.

"Stop what?" I asked my eyes darting up to her face.

"I can't walk in there and act all calm with you staring at my ass" she explained.

"Uhh…I…I wasn't…I…okay…but just a little" I stammered out.

She shook her head but smiled at me before turning back around and entering the dance room.

"Guys, this is Jesse, he's gonna be watching us, so don't screw up" she announced as we entered the room. She told me to wait for a second when we were by the director guy's chair. She went back into a little room and came back with another folding chair. She set it by Josh's and patted the seat. "Normally I'd expect the person in your position to be telling me to relax, but you look like you need it more than I do" she said with a smile. "Just sit and try not to laugh at us."

I sat down and watched as Susannah went back to stand huddled together with the two other girls in her group. Josh hit the play button on the stereo and music started blasting out.

"Lalala lalala la la lala la Ohhh  
You know... I never felt like this before  
Lalala lalala la la lala la Ohhh  
Feels like... so real"

I watched as Susannah and the other girls separated from each other and looked at their partners. They swung their hips and sauntered over to them. But I noticed that Susannah wasn't really looking at her partner. She had her emerald gaze transfixed on me.

"I'm obsessive when just one thought of you comes up  
And I'm aggressive just one thought of close enough  
You got me stressing, incessantly pressing the issue  
'Cause every moment gone you know I miss you  
I'm the question and you're of course the answer  
Just hold me close boy 'cause I'm your tiny dancer  
You make me shaken up, never mistaken  
But I can't control myself, got me calling out for help

"S.O.S. please someone help me.  
It's not healthy... for me to feel this way  
Y.O.U. are making this hard,  
I can't take it, see it don't feel right  
S.O.S. please someone help me  
It's not healthy... for me to feel this way  
Y.O.U. are making this hard  
You got me tossin' and turnin' and can't sleep at night

"This time please someone come and rescue me  
'Cause you on my mind it's got me losing it  
I'm lost, you got me lookin' for the rest of me  
Love is testing me but still I'm losing it  
This time please someone come and rescue me  
'Cause you on my mind, it's got me losing it  
I'm lost, you got me looking for the rest of me,  
Got the best of me, so now I'm losing it"

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Susannah always had this cute innocent look to her, but when she was dancing it was like she was someone else. The innocence in her eyes was replaced by something mysterious mixed with this sexy self-confidence.

"Just your presence and I second guess my sanity  
Yes it's a lesson, it's unfair, you stole my vanity  
My tummy's up in knots so when I see you I get so hot  
My common sense is out the door, can't seem to find the lock  
Take on me (uh huh) you know inside you feel it right  
Take me on I'm put desire up in your arms tonight  
I'm out with you, you got me head over heels  
Boy you keep me hanging on the way you make me feel

"S.O.S. please someone help me.  
It's not healthy... for me to feel this way  
Y.O.U. are making (Y.O.U.) this hard,  
You got me tossin' and turnin' and can't sleep at night  
"This time please someone come and rescue me  
'Cause you on my mind, it's got me losing it ('Cause you on my mind)  
I'm lost, you got me lookin' for the rest of me  
Love is testing me but still I'm losing it

"This time please someone come and rescue me (someone come and rescue me)  
'Cause you on my mind got me losing it  
I'm lost, you got me looking for the rest of me,  
Got the best of me, so now I'm losing it"

I kept watching in awe as Susannah danced in ways that should be considered illegal. She was stirring up all these emotions in me and she wasn't even near me. She was completely in a zone, focused on dancing and looking sexy while doing it. Well she might not have been concentrating on looking sexy but she was doing a great job at doing it anyway.

"Boy, you know you got me feeling open  
And boy, your loves enough with words unspoken  
I said boy I'm telling you, you got me open  
I don't know what to do it's true  
I'm going crazy over you,  
I'm begging

"S.O.S. please somebody help me.  
It's not healthy... for me to feel this way  
Y.O.U. are making this hard (are you making this hard for me, baby?),  
You got me tossin' and turnin' and can't sleep at night

"This time please someone come and rescue me (someone rescue me)  
'Cause you on my mind, it's got me losing it  
I'm lost, you got me lookin' for the rest of me  
Love is testing me but still I'm losing it  
This time please someone come and rescue me  
'Cause you on my mind got me losing it ('cause any time)  
I'm lost you, got me looking for the rest of me,  
Got the best of me (best of me), I'm losing it

"Lala lala lala lala Ohhh  
Ohh ohh lala lala lala lala  
Oh oh"

The song ended and all the girls were standing in front of their partners. Their partners were either holding their hand, had and arm strung around their shoulders or their waist. Susannah's partner had his arm around her waist and he was watching her with dark eyes and a smile on his face. Everyone else was watching me, waiting for my response.

"That was incredible," I said giving them all a bright smile, especially Susannah. She smiled back and all the dancers separated looking at Josh now. He nodded his head and beamed at them. "Great job guys, keep up the good work and I'll see all you guys back on Tuesday so we can plan costumes."

They all smiled at went to a corner of the room that was piled with bags. Each of them grabbed their bags and then headed for the door. I stood up and Josh said, "Listen, thanks for watching today." I smiled and replied "Oh, no problem, really."

He looked towards the doorway, at Susannah and yelled, "Hey good work today Miss Thang, keep it up."

Susannah turned to look at him and replied, "What did I tell you about calling me that?"

"Oh come on, be a good sport. Besides it suits you so well" he called back. Susannah very maturely stuck her tongue out at him, before stopping in the doorway and holding out her hand. "You coming?"

"Yeah" I answered, taking her hand and following her out the door and towards the exit.

"Awh, Miss Thang got herself a man," Josh said to Susannah from the doorway. She turned around and warned "Last time I restrained myself and only stuck my tongue out at you, but you keep this up and you'll be receiving a nasty hand gesture."

Josh gasped and feigned shock. "Oh please" Susannah remarked, "Now if you'll excuse us, Jesse and I have things to do. And if you say or cough anything mean I'll go back and give you that black eye I warned you about earlier." I laughed and took the bag from her shoulder, placing it on mine, which earned me an appreciative smile.

"Hey Suze" the guy who had been her partner called from the main doorway, "Wanna grab a bite to eat? I could give you a ride home." He then noticed me holding Susannah's hand and carrying her bag, which earned me a glare.

"No thanks, me and Jesse are gonna hang out for a while. But maybe some other time. See ya Tuesday Ben" she called back giving him a little finger wave.

"Susannah you were amazing in there. I mean I had no idea you could move like that. But…wow" I gushed, pushing the main door open and holding it for Susannah.

She laughed, and followed me out the door towards my car. "Thanks. Did you really like the choreography for that song? I mean I just learned some of it earlier and I think I did okay, but I know I could have done better-"

"Querida, you were great and I find it hard to believe you could improve on perfection."

She gave me an embarrassed smile complete with blushing and stopped by my car while I opened the passenger door for her. I placed her bag in the trunk and angled in behind the wheel.

"Do you want me to take you home-" I began.

"Jesse, I don't want things to be awkward between us, but I'd actually really appreciate it if we could go back to my house. I just really wanna shower and then maybe after we could do something. What do you think?"

"Yeah, we could that. Do you want me to wait for you, or drop you off and then come back?" I asked starting up the car and driving out of the alleyway, back towards the strip mall.

"You can wait, I mean I don't want you to waste your gas or anything. Oh and only my little stepbrother, David should be home so don't worry about running into my mom and step-dad or anything" she replied.

I let out a sigh of relief; the last thing I wanted right now was to be grilled by Susannah's parents AND her three stepbrothers.

"You know, why don't you invite CeeCee and Adam over? I don't want you to be all bored while you're waiting for me. We could have sort of a little party" she suggested as I turned out of the strip mall.

"Well…yeah…we could do that" I replied albeit reluctantly.

Susannah laughed and said, "Or we could keep it just us."

"You know now that you mention it, that sounds like wonderful idea."

She laughed again and smiled over at me. "You're funny," she added with another smile.

I smiled back and turned up the street to get to Susannah's house. "Why don't I go pick up some food for us and then bring it back here?" I offered.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to have to waste your gas" she replied as we pulled up to her house.

"No it's fine, really. What are you in the mood for?"

"I've been craving rolled tacos for weeks now, and they sound so good right now" she answered happily.

"Rolled tacos do sound good" I said, "and what about your stepbrother?"

"Umm…probably the same for him. Why don't you come in with me real fast and I'll just ask him" she guessed, and then unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the car. I got out after her, opened my trunk and pulled out her dance bag and then the luggage I'd forgotten to give her earlier, and followed her up the pathway to the front door.

"Jesse, my keys are-" she cut herself off when she looked back at me carrying her bag and tugging her luggage. She gave me bright smile and took her dance bag from my shoulder. "Thank you" she added before rummaging through her bag for her keys.

She opened the door and led us inside, closing the door after us. "David, I'm home" she called up the stairs, "can you come down here for a sec?"

No one responded and no noise came from upstairs. "David?" she yelled.

"Huh, he should be home" she sighed, "let me make sure he's not sleeping or something." She tried to grab her luggage from my grasp, but I held tight to its handle. "I'll take this up for you, I don't want you carrying this thing up the stairs, it's really heavy."

"Jesse, I can carry my own suitcase" she insisted. "I have no doubt that you can, but I still think it's way too heavy for you to be carrying up any stairs" I responded motioning her up the stairs. She shook her head and smiled a little before climbing the stairs. She stopped at a door on our left and knocked. "David?" she asked through the door. No response. She tried the doorknob and the door opened. She peeked inside the room and then closed the door. "He's not in there," she said almost shocked by this.

"Maybe he's in the bathroom, or something" I suggested. She nodded slowly, "yeah, maybe."

"Come on, why don't we put your stuff in your room, and then I'll go check to see if David's anywhere else in the house, while you jump in the shower" I offered.

She seemed to come out of the daze she'd been in since she first yelled for David and he didn't respond. "Thanks" she said giving me a smile, "come on, my room's right here." She pointed to the door across from David's and opened the door for us. "Okay, I'm letting you know now, I did not decorate this room. The pink and frills was all my mom and step-dad."

I looked around the room and was practically blinded by all the pink. Mapi would kill for this room. "Wow, it's…really…pink" I mumbled.

"I know, and I'd change it but it might hurt my mom's feelings so I think I can live with the pink for now." I smiled at her; she's actually concerned about her mother's feelings; that's a nice thing to see in a girl, especially in one my own age. "Where should I put this?" I asked meaning her suitcase.

"Oh wherever is fine" she replied, dropping her dance bag onto her bed. I looked around the room and noticed that there was a big window with a great view of the ocean and a window seat built in. I walked towards the window and looked out, admiring the ocean view.

"I don't know why, but ever since I first came here I just can't get enough of that view. I could sit there all day and just watch the waves roll in" she confessed, coming to stand beside me. I smiled at her sat down on the window seat facing her. The sunlight coming in through the window gave Susannah's skin a shimmering glow.

She noticed me staring at her and blushed an adorable shade of red. I took hold of her hands in mine and gently ran my thumbs over her knuckles. She took a step towards me and smiled down at me.

I brought her hands up to my lips and placed a kiss on the back of each of her hands. She gave my hands a squeeze before letting them go and placing her arms around my neck. I started getting a little nervous when she did that. She did say she wanted to slow things down between us, but I wanted to kiss her so badly.

She looked at me carefully and then brought one of her hands to my face. She caressed my cheek lightly with the back of her hand and then with her thumb traced over my lips.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me and staring into her emerald eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking about. Her eyes were swirling with different things but I recognized the ever-present intelligence and strength that always shine through. She smiled down at me and I noticed her eyes light up as the smile grew on her lips. I returned the bright smile and placed one of my own hands over her's on my cheek.

"God, I wanna kiss you so bad" she sighed. I grinned up at her and her eyes went wide. "Did I really just say that out loud?" I laughed and then replied, "yeah."

"I'm sorry" she mumbled, "I know I must be sending you such mixed signals, its just when I'm around you I feel things I've NEVER felt before; things I'm not sure I should be feeling."

"I feel them too" I admitted, "and I get how confusing things seem right now, and I can only imagine things from your point of view."

She smiled down at me and gave me a peck on the cheek. "I should get in the shower," she said pointing to another door in her room. "Oh, here, let me give you my house keys so you can get back in." She went over to her bed and fumbled around in her dance bag before holding out a set of keys for me. "The one with the little pink little house cap thingy on it is for the bottom lock on the front door" she told me.

I took the keys from her and got up from the window seat. "I'll be right back. Oh, do you want something to drink with your tacos? Normally I get a big hor-"

"Horchata" she finished for me. "Same here, rolled tacos don't quite taste the same without it." She smiled at me again and then kissed my cheek again before sauntering into her bathroom.

I shook my head after she'd left the room. Seeing her swaying her hips all confident and sexy made me feel things I couldn't really describe, but I hated to see her walking away from me.

&&&

"Susannah I'm back with the food" I yelled up the stairs. She didn't answer so I put the food down on the table in the kitchen and then went up the stairs.

"Querida" I said knocking on her bedroom door, "can I come in?" Again she didn't answer so slowly I opened her door and peeked inside. I didn't see her so I stepped inside and heard Susannah singing from her bathroom.

I smiled at hearing her singing in the shower. She can't really sing all that great, but she could carry a tune. I listened closely, trying to her what she was singing and stood still as I listened to her words she was singing.

"You say you're a big boy  
But I can't agree  
'Cause the love you said you had  
Ain't been put on me  
I wonder  
If I'm just too much for you  
Wonder  
If my kiss don't make you just  
Wonder  
What I got next for you  
What you want to do? (Do)

"Take a chance to recognize that this could be yours  
I can see, just like most guys that your game don't please  
Baby, can't you see?  
How these clothes are fitting on me  
And the heat coming from this beat  
I'm about to blow  
I don't think you know  
"I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)  
"I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)  
"I'm a make you loosen up my buttons babe  
Loosen up my buttons babe  
Why don't you loosen up my buttons babe  
Loosen up my buttons babe  
"I'm a make you loosen up my buttons babe  
Loosen up my buttons babe  
Why don't you loosen up my buttons babe  
Loosen up my buttons babe  
"I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)  
"I'm telling you loosen up my buttons baby (Uh huh)  
But you keep fronting (Uh)  
Saying what you going to do to me (Uh huh)  
But I ain't seen nothing (Uh)"

Suddenly the singing stopped and I heard the water being shut off.

Uh oh, time to go. I rushed out of Susannah's room, careful to shut the door behind me, and then went back downstairs. I went back through the house to the kitchen and got the food out of the bag, and put our straws in our drinks.

Then I heard the front door open and close. "Suze, I'm home," a young guy yelled up the stairs. I heard Susannah call back, "Okay, I'm upstairs. I've got a friend coming back here so if you see him be nice and tell him I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Sure" the young guy yelled back. I could hear footsteps nearing the kitchen and then they stopped.

The footsteps started again but going in the opposite direction. "Did you say 'tell him'?" the young guy yelled back up the stairs. I heard a door open upstairs and then someone come down the stairs. "What?" Susannah asked.

"You said 'him', meaning you've got a guy coming over here. Who is he?" the young guy questioned sounding more adult all of a sudden. "He's my friend. We met yesterday and really hit it off so I told him we could hang out today. He's actually a friend of CeeCee's; that's how we met. Any other questions?" she responded.

"Yeah. How old is he? And where does he go to school? What's his name? Does he have a criminal record?" the young guy snapped back sounding very protective.

Susannah laughed and replied, "His name is Jesse, he's my age, and he goes to the mission. As for the criminal record question, he said he preferred not to talk about it when I asked him about it yesterday."

"Suze, he could a drug dealer, or a serial rapist and you wouldn't even know. I mean just think about-"

"David" Susannah said using a reassuring tone, "Jesse is not a criminal, he goes to the mission, and he's friends with CeeCee. Thank you for caring though."

"Wait, what's his last name?" the young man, obviously named David asked.

"de Silva, why?" Susannah answered.

"You invited Jesse de Silva over **here**?" he questioned.

"Yes. Is that a bad thing? Wait, **you** know Jesse?" she asked sounding confused.

"Jesse has been the vice president of his class every year since sixth grade. Well except 8th grade when he got the chicken pox. And he's been a TA for Mr. Ochoa, the Spanish teacher, since 9th grade. Jesse's one of the smartest people in the entire school. Plus his sister Josefina is the prettiest girl in my grade" he explained sounding excited.

Susannah chuckled and replied, "I swear you're better than Google."

"Well I'm going to be upstairs, call me when Jesse gets here I really want to talk to him" David said before climbing up the stairs.

"Okay" Susannah sighed before making her way back through the house, towards the kitchen.

I started panicking. Quickly I set the food down and grabbed two napkins from a napkin holder on the counter besides me. I placed the napkins on the table beside the food and our drinks when I heard Susannah come into the kitchen behind me.

"Jesse, I thought you were still out getting the food. How long have you been here?" she asked as I turned to face her. She looked a little shocked to see me but she was smirking at me as if trying to decide whether or not to just plain laugh at me.

"Uhh…well…we should eat before the food gets cold" I mumbled.

Susannah smiled at me before closing the distance between us and giving my arm an affectionate squeeze. "Thanks. Oh, and before you leave, you mind meeting my little brother David? Apparently he's a big fan" she questioned, trying not to laugh. "Uhh…sure."

"Alright, let's eat; I'm starved" she sighed sitting down at the kitchen table and opening one of the styrofoam boxes. I chuckled and sat down across from her, opening my own box.

&&&

"Night David" Susannah and I called up the stairs after him. He waved back and yelled, "Suze it's getting late, and no boys in your room," before heading off into his bedroom.

After Susannah and I had finished eating, David had come down and we'd all started talking. David was one of the smartest kids I'd ever met and seemed thrilled at the prospect of Susannah and I spending time together. He'd even asked me to say 'hi' to my little sister Josefina for him. Apparently they were in the same class and pretty good friends. But I got the feeling David had something of a crush on Josefina. I thought it was cute really; David was a sweet kid and he was exactly the kind of guy I'd want my sisters to date. Sure they were still too young to be thinking of dating, but in the future I thought if David asked Josefina out, I'd approve of him.

"Thanks for being nice enough to hang out with David for a little while. He really admires you" Susannah said smiling at me. She stretched her legs across the couch and across my legs. I returned her smile and replied, "Honestly, David was fun to talk to. He's really smart, and it's nice to see that intelligence in someone his age. Most boys his age are studying video game cheat codes or planted in front of the tv."

Her smile got bigger and she looked over to the stairs, "Yeah, David's something special. I think he's my favorite out of all my stepbrothers."

"I can see why" I said, "I feel kind of the same way, but I each of my sisters is my favorite for a different thing."

"Like what?" she asked sounding interesting.

"Well, like Marta is my favorite sister to talk to, we can really relate to each other because we're only a year apart. Or Mapi, my youngest sister, she's my favorite sister to play with. Around her I feel like a little kid again, and she's the sweetest little girl you could ever meet" I explained. Susannah smiled at me and scooted closer to me on the couch, "I can see how much you love your sisters, they mean a lot to you."

I nodded and turned a little to face Susannah. She was practically sitting in my lap and I was getting a little nervous about how close we were. I tried to stretch my arm a little, to maybe wrap my arm around Susannah but my arm only reached to Susannah's side. When my hand brushed against her side she giggled a little before covering her mouth with her hand. "Querida, are you ticklish?" I asked trying to sound shocked. She quickly shook her head and tried scooting away from me on the couch. I grabbed her ankles and pulled her back towards me so she was sitting in my lap and I began tickling her sides. She started laughing uncontrollably and begging me to stop as she caught her breath. I shook my head and smiled over her, which was when she started squirming in my lap. Eventually we ended up on the floor, Susannah straddling my hips and both of us in a fit of laughter. I managed to flip us over so I was on top and Susannah finally sighed, "Okay, okay, you win. I surrender." I smiled down at her and before I knew it my lips were on Susannah's. Then Susannah flipped us over and we kissed for what seemed like hours.

And then the front door opened and in walked Susannah's two other stepbrothers. They walked over to the stairs and caught Susannah and I in a very compromising position. We pulled away from each other and got up off the floor. "Hey guys" Susannah squeaked, her cheeks an adorable crimson.

"Who the hell are you?" the oldest of Susannah's stepbrothers asked looking pissed off. Brad stood to his left glaring at me. Susannah stepped in front of me, almost using herself to shield me from her stepbrothers and held up both her hands. "Brad, Jake just relax, okay."

"Who the hell are you?" Susannah's oldest stepbrother, apparently named Jake, repeated.

"Jesse, Jesse de Silva" I said, quite proud that my voice didn't shake or give away how panicked I was feeling.

"Jesse, what the fuck are you doing with Suze?" Brad demanded. I winced at his tone; this was not exactly the first impression I had wanted to make on Susannah's stepbrothers, and now I started worrying that I might get beat up because of this.

"We were hanging out, and-" Susannah started to explain when Jake interrupted her. "That's not what it looked like to us" he snapped back.

"It's my fault really. I just, I don't know what I was thinking but one second we were talking and laughing and then I just kissed her" I defended. Susannah turned to look at me, completely shocked.

"Suze, is that true?" Jake questioned angrily. Susannah shook her head and looked at both of them. "No…well, yes, but I kissed him back. He didn't do anything I didn't want him to" she answered as I stepped up, so that we were side by side. She looked over at me and gave a reassuring glance.

"So what, are you guys going out, or do you always just make out with girls you barely know?" Jake asked me, glaring at me like he wouldn't mind taking a swing at me.

"We're going out" Susannah and I replied in unison as we grabbed hold of each other's hand.

Jake eyed us suspiciously before saying, "Fine. But it's late, and he needs to leave. After he's gone, we need to talk Suze."

She nodded before replying, "I'm just gonna walk Jesse out to his car. I'll be right back." Jake barely nodded his head before walking towards the kitchen. Brad stood there eyeing us carefully before mumbling; "You sure know how to pick 'em." After that he trudged up the stairs and left us alone. Who was he talking to? I wondered before pulling Susannah towards her front door and opening the door before tugging her after me.

"I'm sorry" we both said when the door closed. We looked at each other and smiled, knowing things were okay between us. We walked hand in hand back to my car and gazed into each other's eyes, a smile on both our faces. "I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow" I said breaking the silence. Susannah nodded and replied, "Yeah, I…well…I'm going to be there early tomorrow because Jake has an early class and can't be late, and since he needs the car the most, we're all planning around his schedule. But, that's beside the point. I was wondering, do you maybe wanna get some coffee or something before school?"

"Yeah, coffee sounds good. And there's this little coffee shop right next to the school. They make the best caramel macchiatos" I answered, stepping closer to her. She smiled up at me, "Alright, I'll meet you there tomorrow morning before school. Night Jesse."

"Buenas noches querida" I cooed back before giving her a brief peck on the lips. Susannah smirked at me before sighing, "Jeez we get caught making out and all I get is a peck goodnight." I smiled at her and pulled her close to me, and then dipped her back a little over my arm before giving her a kiss I hoped left her as dazed as her's did me. I pulled her back up afterward and leaned my forehead against her's. "Better?" I asked with a smile.

"Much" she replied sounding far off, "well…I should…inside…Jake, and…yeah" she rambled incoherently. I chuckled at her before pecking her cheek and watching her saunter up the pathway to her front door. She waved me off before closing the door behind her, and I drove away feeling as happy as I possibly could be.

---------------------------------

Okay, there's another chapter for you guys to enjoy. Hope you like it!

But I have a favor to ask of all of you: I'm having a really hard time figuring out the end of the story. I can't decide which universe they should live in. I've thought of some pretty decent things for each one so I'm leaving it up to you guys. I want to see what universe you like better and want Jesse and Suze to stay in. Please, if you could let me know, I'd really appreciate it. –Lauren.


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"Gee, I wonder where you were" Marta teased as I went upstairs. She was standing at the top of the stairs, her hands on her hips, blocking my way to my room.

"I was just out" I replied trying to get past her.

She held her ground and crossed her arms over her chest, "You really expect me to believe that when you're smiling like an idiot? You were with Su-" I clamped my hand over her mouth and dragged her into my room. After I'd closed my door I uncovered her mouth and saw that she was smirking at me.

"Alright, you win. Just don't go telling anyone" I pleaded.

She smiled and did a little girl-ish squeal. "I don't have to tell anyone," she said plopping herself down in the chair by my desk, "Everyone at school already thinks you and Suze are a couple. In fact, from what I've heard, you guys are the new 'It' couple."

"What? How is that possible?" I asked, so confused with what I was hearing.

"Apparently some senior dude tried to hit on Suze yesterday at the beach, but she told him that she had just moved out here to be with her boyfriend. And when he asked her who her boyfriend was, she told him you. It also didn't help that you and Suze were spotted being all cute and friendly at the beach. I heard there was some water wrestling involved; care to tell me what happened?"

"I…I…I don't know what to say," I breathed, "I mean, we didn't water wrestle. I carried her to the water and dumped her in, then she tackled me-"

"Which constitutes water wrestling" Marta interjected.

"But we didn't do anything really couple-like" I said trying to remember every minute of our time at the beach yesterday.

"Okay…did you hold hands?" Marta asked. I nodded and felt like banging my head against something. Okay, so we acted a little bit like a couple.

"Did you…put sunscreen on each other, at the beach? The parking lot wouldn't count because no one would see" she questioned. I nodded again, swallowing hard.

"Oh boy" she sighed, "Well, you didn't kiss her did you?" I looked at her, my cheeks feeling as if they were on fire.

"You kissed her at the beach! The day you met her!" she shouted standing up so fast she knocked over my desk chair. I tried to calm her down and get her to stop yelling.

"Okay, okay, I'm calm. Now explain exactly what happened" she sighed through deep breaths.   
"You might wanna sit back down, it's a long story" I told her. She let out a deep breath and sat down looking at me expectantly. "Do you want to know the whole-whole story, or the Sparknotes version?"

"I wanna hear everything, in detail. Just don't get all gross about the kissing stuff, I really don't wanna hear about you kissing Suze; that's just too weird to think about and I really don't need anymore mental images" she answered.

"Alright then…So, CeeCee called me early yesterday morning…"

&&&

"Wow" Marta sighed after I'd finished telling her all about what had happened since yesterday morning. "I never knew you could have a life, let alone a love life. And with someone as awesome as Suze too. That just baffles me."

I threw a pillow at her from my bed and she caught it laughing. "But seriously Jesse, I'm happy for you. Suze is a really great girl, I just can't wrap my head around what she sees in you" she said straight-faced until the end where she burst out laughing.

I tossed my other pillow at her and it hit her square in the face. That's when I let out a bark of laughter.

"You know you're a really mean older brother" she commented.

I placed my hand over my heart and replied, "You really know how to wound me."

"Pufft" she sputtered before throwing back my pillows and leaving my room. "Night Romeo" she chimed as she closed my door behind her.

Not ten minutes later I heard tiny little footsteps running towards my door. They stopped and a light knock came from the other side before Mapi peeked into my room. She smiled at me and gave me her big puppy-dog eyes.

"You better be ready for bed when I get to your room otherwise no story," I said. She gave a cute little squeal before she closed my door and took off down the hallway to her bedroom. I smiled after her and then waited five minutes before getting up and going down the hall to her room.

"Ready for bed?" I asked as I entered her room. She ran in from her bathroom and jumped up onto her bed before crawling under her covers. "Ready" she sang happily and patted the space next to her on her bed. I sat down beside her as she stared up at me with a big smile on her face.

"What story should we read tonight?" I asked her glancing over at her book collection. We'd already read just about every book on her shelves twice, and her favorites were practically committed to my memory.

"I wanna hear something new. Make up something" she suggested giving me her big smile that I could never resist.

I thought for a moment before finally deciding on something. "Okay, …once upon a time there was a beautiful girl named Susanna-I mean, Susan. She lived in a great big city and loved to dance every kind of dance imaginable."

"Even the Mexican dancing with the big skirts that swirl around?" she asked sounding excited.

"Yep, even ballet folklórico" I answered with a smile. "Well Susan's dad died when she was little, leaving only her and her mom. But when Susan got older her mom fell in love with a man named And-rew, Andrew. Susan's mom married Andrew and together they decided that Susan and her mom would move far away from their home so they could live with Andrew and his three sons."

"She had to leave all her friends and her home?" Mapi asked sounding concerned.

I nodded and continued; "Susan's mom went to her husband's house first so she could set everything up for Susan when she finally moved. Well Susan came to visit her new home before she moved in and met a girl at a restaurant her age. She and the girl became really good friends and Susan felt better knowing that when she moved to be with her mom and new family she'd have a friend. So Susan went back to her big city home one more time and then moved out to be with her new family."

"Wasn't she escared?" Mapi asked.

"She was, but Susan is a brave girl and she moved in knowing that everything would be okay. But on the day Susan got to her new home her friend took her out to see her new home town. And on that day Susan's friend introduced her to me-I mean, Jess-I mean Jeff. Well Jeff knew the moment he saw her that he liked Susan, and not only because she is so incredibly beautiful, but because they had so much in common and could talk for hours. Jeff felt that around Susan he was a better person, and so he always wanted to be around her. Susan liked Jeff too and together they decided to try and make Susan's new house and family seem like home for her."

"That's it?" Mapi questioned furrowing her brows together, "No happily ever after?"

"They're starting on it" I told her before kissing her forehead. "Now you get to go to bed."

She sighed but relented and wiggled around under her covers trying to get comfortable. I got up and went to her doorway.

"Jesse, I like Susan and Jeff. Can you tell me more about them?" Mapi asked, her eyelids starting to look heavy.

"Some other night" I replied, "Night Mapi-posa."

"Night big brodder" she mumbled closing her eyes. I smiled and turned off her light before closing her door and going back to my own bedroom.

"Night Jeff, say hi to Susan for me" Marta called from down the hall, across from Mapi's bedroom. I shook my head before retreating into my room and calling it a night.

&&&

"So apparently we're the new 'It' couple," Susannah said as we sat down at a table in the coffee shop. She had a smile on her face and a caramel macchiato in front of her, which is why I was in a good mood: lovely company who happens to want to kiss me, and caffeine. Was there ever a better combination?

"So I'm told" I replied with a smile.

"So, how should we, as the new 'It' couple, handle this?" she asked trying to look very serious, but smiling a little.

"Well, we wouldn't want to disappoint the people, because as the new 'It' couple we have a certain standard to meet" I suggested.

Susannah laughed and nodded her head a little. "Of course, we wouldn't want to disappoint anyone. And what standard exactly is it that we have to meet? I've never really been part of an 'It' couple" she responded.

"Well, neither have I, but from what I've seen of past 'It' couples I believe we basically have to be seen together a lot and just act like a couple in general. Also I believe there's some kissing required" I answered trying to look completely serious but failing miserably.

"I see" Susannah sighed, "And just how much kissing do you think is required?"

"Lots" I said before both Susannah and I broke out in grins.

Afterwards Susannah and I finished our coffees and then headed towards the school, holding hands, as was required to act like a couple we had agreed.

"Oh, Jesse I'm supposed to go meet with Father Dominic. You wanna meet up later at break?" Susannah asked before we passed the main office of the school.

"Actually I'm supposed to meet with him too. I was gonna walk you to your homeroom and then head back here" I admitted.

Susannah smiled up at me and gave my hand a squeeze. "Ever the gentleman, aren't we?"

"I do my best. Come on," I said, pulling her towards Father Dominic's office.

"Good morning" the secretary greeted us with a warm smile, "Can I help you kids with something?"

"Actually we're supposed to meet with Father Dominic before class. Is he busy?" Susannah replied, sounding equally amiable.

"Oh, no, not at all. Go on in" she told us.

I knocked on his door just in case and waited until he responded with his usual "Come in, the door's always open." I opened the door and motioned for Susannah to enter first. "Jeez I'm gonna get spoiled with all this" she said with a bright smile before going in.

"Ah, Susannah, my dear child, how are you this morning?" Father Dominic asked as Susannah stepped inside. He sent a questioning glance in my direction when I followed closely behind Susannah. "Jesse, I'll only be a moment with Miss Simon, if you would be so kind as to wait outside for a moment. Actually before you step out I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything Father" I said.

"Well, Miss Simon here is a new student and I was wondering if you would escort her about campus today, make sure she doesn't get lost" he explained.

"I'd be happy to" I answered, smiling at Susannah, who gave my hand another squeeze.

"Do you two know each other?" Father Dominic questioned, looking at us strangely.

"Yeah," Susannah said, "me and Jesse go way back." Father Dominic eyed us suspiciously noting Susannah's sarcastic tone. We smiled at each other before she added, "We're dating, actually."

Father Dominic looked from me to Susannah and back again. "You're dating **each other**?"

"Yeah, wasn't that implied?" Susannah asked sounding kind of confused. Father Dominic opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking a bit like a fish out of water. "Sit" he instructed us.

Susannah and I shared a confused glance before complying, and each taking a chair, me of course helping Susannah into her's.

"Now I realize that I have no say in who you two choose to get involved with, both in friendships and relationships, but I must express my concern about this situation. Both of you being mediators must realize how dangerous relationships can be, but getting involved with another mediator could be even more dangerous. I don't particularly know about your past relationships, Susannah, but Jesse and myself have experienced ghosts who will use your relations with someone against you" Father Dominic lectured.

"Father D, I get the whole 'dangerous relationship choice' thing, but I can't help liking Jesse and wanting to be with him. I know the risks, I've gone through this before and experienced the worst outcome possible, but with Jesse, I'm willing to take the chance" Susannah countered, her eyes looking a little watery. I reached over and placed my hand over her's. She looked over at me and attempted a smile.

"Susannah I had no idea" Father Dominic breathed, "I'm terribly sorry."

Susannah blinked back her tears and put on a brave face, "its fine Father D. It was a long time ago, and…it's fine."

"Oh my, look at the time! Go on and get to homeroom before you're late. I'd hate for that to happen on your first day as seniors. And Susannah, I want you to know that there was an error in the computer and your homeroom is actually Mr. Ochoa's classroom, room 217." She nodded and we both got up, waving goodbye to Father Dominic before exiting his office.

"Querida, are you all right?" I asked once I'd closed Father Dominic's door. She nodded and sent me an appreciative smile, "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."

"You wanna talk about it?" I questioned grabbing hold of her hand. "Later" she replied, "If I get emotional I don't want to have worry about people knowing I just cried." I pulled her into my arms and gave her a big hug, kissing her hair before we pulled apart.

She stared at me for a second before smiling and then leading us back through the office. As we passed the secretary's desk she smiled brightly at us, "You kids try and have some fun your first day back." We nodded and smiled at her before turning towards the door, but stopping as we noticed Adam sitting down in one of chairs lined against the wall.

"School hasn't even started yet, and already you're in trouble. Adam what did you do this time?" I questioned, smirking at him.

"Nothing, I just…I wasn't alone. CeeCee should be in here too. It's not like I can get caught making out by myself. Besides, we weren't you know, tongue wrestling, just kissing, a little" he admitted, blushing the whole time.

Susannah and I burst out in laughter, but then remembered we had to get to homeroom. "We'll catch you later lover boy" Susannah chimed as we darted out of the office and towards Mr. Ochoa's classroom.

Just as we entered the classroom the bell rang and Mr. Ochoa laughed and said 'thanks for deciding to join us'. Susannah and I took two seats towards the back of the room and sat next to each other.

"All right, I hope you're all happy with the seats you're currently occupying, because those will be your permanent seats for the rest of the year," Mr. Ochoa informed us before taking roll and then reading the morning's announcements. After that he told us we could talk quietly amongst ourselves until the class change.

When it was time to go to our first classes I walked Susannah to Mrs. McDonald's room for English before heading off to Mrs. Walker's room for AP Calculus. When I walked into the classroom I glanced over the seating chart Mrs. Walker had printed and placed on her podium, and took my seat beside Kevin, an acquaintance of mine from student council.

"Yo, Jesse. Dude, I heard you're dating the new girl," he said sounding extremely interested.

"Umm…well, yeah. Her name's Susannah, but she goes by Suze" I replied getting paper out for Mrs. Walker's lecture.

"Oh, dude you are one lucky guy, she's totally smokin'! I saw her show up with my man Brad, but that dumb ass didn't even glance in her direction, after they got out of the car. But yeah, she's fine!"

"Well, Brad is Susannah's stepbrother, so that's probably why he wasn't looking at her" I

explained.

"No way" Kevin muttered, "wow, that's trippy. So how is it that you got to be the luckiest guy around, dating Suze and all?"

"We met through a mutual friend and really hit it off. We've been together ever since" I answered, not telling him that 'ever since' has been about two days.   
"How long have you guys been going out?" he asked, honing in on just the topic I didn't want to discuss.

"For a while" I replied, lying "but things were weird at first because we were long distance for a while."

"Dude from what I saw, she'd be worth the wait. You tapping that?" he questioned giving me an expectant glance.

I had to think for a second what he meant by 'tapping', but when it finally hit me I couldn't help but look completely shocked.

Kevin noticed my shock and quickly responded, "Sorry, if you don't wanna talk about it it's fine. I'm just saying, she's the kind of girl you can't help but wanna brag about nailing."

Again I could tell the shock was evident on my face because Kevin stopped talking and faced forward. He didn't talk the rest of class and when class ended he mumbled a 'later dude' and took off.

I hurriedly went and got Susannah from Mrs. McDonald's classroom and then escorted her to her locker before searching for mine, only to find that mine was right next to her's.

"How…that's…how?" I stammered. Susannah merely laughed and replied "They probably didn't see the de in front of your last name, so they sorted you by Silva."

"Suze!" I heard someone squeal delightfully from across the breezeway. I turned around and saw Marta, with an open locker right behind her. This is NOT happening.

"Yay we're locker buddies" Susannah joked before running over and hugging Marta.

"Please tell me you never use your locker" I sighed.

"Sorry big bro, I'm here all the time. See you two love birds around" she chimed before slamming shut her locker and then strolling down the breezeway towards her next class.

"Ugh" I breathed sticking my head inside my locker. Susannah laughed at me and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Come on, it won't be that bad."

"Yeah, quit being such a baby" Brad teased spinning the combination on the locker on the other side of Susannah.

"Please tell me you're playing a really mean prank on me and that's not really your locker" Susannah pleaded.

Brad laughed, "Relax Suze I never use my locker, I just stick a change of clothes and some cash in here in case I forget my bag for practice or something. I usually share Debbie's locker. But I better not hear of any locker make out sessions."

Both Susannah and I blushed, and then quickly shut our lockers. Brad walked off to his next class, I assumed, while Susannah asked me what class I had next.

"History with Mr. Walden" I answered, "You?"

She smiled brightly at me, "Same."

"Oh my gosh, me too!" Adam said, appearing out of no where, and attempting his best Kelly Prescott imitation.

We all burst out in laughter and together walked to Mr. Walden's classroom. When we all sat down the bell rang and Mr. Walden introduced himself. He then asked the class, "Is there a Miss Simon here?"

"Right here" Susannah replied, raising her hand and giving him a wave. This earned Susannah a few stares and some hushed murmuring, but she seemed unfazed by the attention. Mr. Walden nodded back before taking roll and then beginning his lecture.

Class seemed to zoom by because when I zoned back into class Mr. Walden was handing out something. "Alright class, I'm passing out your homework. These worksheets cover the reading on pages 8-21, and you can complete these in groups of two, which I will be selecting" Mr. Walden stated.

After he'd handed out our homework he went down each row, pairing people up. Luckily Susannah sat right in front of me, so we were partnered up.

Susannah turned around in her seat so we could talk and we were deciding where we should do the homework.

"Well, why don't you just come over to my house? All my stepbrothers have stuff to do, so we'd have the house all to ourselves" she hinted, one of her eyebrows raising slightly.

I smiled and replied, "Okay, but if you're going to start kissing me we better be somewhere far away from your front door."

"Excuse me, but I believe it was **you **who kissed **me**" she corrected.

"Maybe, but you kissed me back, which led to what your stepbrothers walked in on" I countered.

Susannah in turn very maturely stuck her tongue out at me.

"Whoa, what'd they walk in? Were you two crazy kids doing something…_inappropriate_?" Adam asked us using his whispering voice.

Susannah and I both blushed before turning away from Adam and avoiding eye contact with each other. "So…this is awkward" Susannah mumbled.

I laughed, "yes, that it is."

"Children, so immature" Adam teased before getting his stuff together and leaving the classroom. Apparently class had ended.

"Come on, let's go for a walk" I offered, after gathering my belongings, and holding out my hand.

Susannah smiled back at me and shoved her stuff in her backpack before she took my hand and let me lead us out of the classroom, into the open breezeways.

"Do you have to go to your locker?" I questioned.

"No, I have yoga next" she answered.

"They offer yoga?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, starting this year. Father D. told me about it when he met with my mom and me for my interview to transfer. He suggested it after I asked about any dance classes I could take" Susannah said.

"Wow, you really like dance, don't you?" I questioned, looking at her with a newfound interest and respect.

She smiled before replying, "There's just something about the way you can move your body that really fascinates me. But I take every kind of dance and movement class I can to learn. I feel like I'm being let into a certain cultures' world by learning their interpretation of dance, and, in a sense, respecting their traditions."

I stared at her, amazed even more by this beautiful, intelligent goddess. She was so insightful and knowledgeable, but at same time captivated me with her sense of humor and shyness.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face?" she babbled nervously.

"No, nothing, it's just…you continue to amaze me. Just when I think I've got you figured out, you pull a fast one on me and completely surprise me; in a very good way. And I don't think anyone has ever completely astonished me, and confused me, all at once."

She smiled at me, while her cheeks flushed. "I don't really know what to say…except, thanks. You know you have the same affect on me. Just when I think I've solved the anomaly that is Jesse de Silva, you do something so spectacular that just confuses the hell out of me."

I smiled back at her just as we reached the stone pathway that leads to the graveyard. No one ever really goes there. Well, unless you want to be discreet about making out with someone.

"What's down there?" Susannah asked me, looking down the path towards the graveyard, which looked slightly foggy. I found it odd that there was still fog out at this hour. Normally the fog evaporates by midmorning, but now fog covered the ground of the graveyard, making it look eerie.

"The graveyard" I answered, pulling her closer to me and stringing my arm around her waist. She smiled shyly at me before pulling her arm around me and resting it against my back.

"I wanna see" she breathed, sounding a bit nervous, but pulling me with her down the stone pathway. I went with her, feeling slightly drawn to the foggy graveyard, and noticed how cold it seemed to have gotten all of a sudden. By the time we opened the gate and walked inside I could see our breath in the chilly air. Something was off.

"Jesse, there's people over there" Susannah said nodding in their direction. I looked over, but the fog made them hard to see. It was a man and woman, that much I could tell, but details were undistinguishable. Susannah drew us nearer to the couple, and although my brain told me I should be steering us in the other direction, something told me to go to them.

We could hear them mumbling to each other, but the words didn't completely reach us. They sounded anxious about something, but you could tell by their body language that these two people really cared for each other. The man sweetly reassured the woman about something, wrapping his arms around her. She hugged him close and whispered something to him that made his eyes light up. I didn't hear exactly what she said, but my guess would be 'I love you'.

We neared even closer to the couple and eyed them carefully. What were these people doing here? Hardly anyone visits the graveyard. After all its filled with some of the first residents of Carmel, who could they know?

"It's us" Susannah whispered, her eyes wide in shock. I looked carefully at the two people and was startled when I realized Susannah was right. These two people were us. The woman who appeared to be Susannah's twin, albeit, slightly older looking, spotted us first and tapped the older me twin. He turned around to see us and gave Susannah and I a smile.

"Hey guys" the woman said. She sounded just like Susannah, which seemed to stun Susannah completely. She stared ahead at her look-a-like, her mouth agape. Susannah pressed herself against me tightly and I too held her securely. What the hell is going on?

"I know, you're probably freaking out, but don't worry, everything is fine, you're not going crazy. We actually need to talk to you, finalize some things" the woman told us, holding onto my look-a-like's hand.

She continued on, explaining the situation to Susannah and I which somehow caused us to remember everything our look-a-likes, were talking about. The de Silvas then reminded us that we had to decide which universe we wanted to continue living in.

There were a few moments of silence, until Mrs. de Silva informed us it was time to make our final decision.

Susannah and I looked at each other, staring into each other's eyes intently.

"Okay, we've decided" I said. Susannah hugged me tight, and finished, "we want to permanently live in…"

&&&

(Third person)

The de Silvas were in the graveyard waiting for Jesse and Suze.

"I don't think we should tell them querida," Mr. de Silva said.

"Jesse, they deserve to know. What if, he actually does come back, then what?" Mrs. de Silva protested.

"Susannah, Father Dominic said the chances of him coming back are next to zero" he stated.

"Yeah, and if it were anyone else I'd say we have nothing to worry about, but it's not anyone else, it's Paul" his wife replied.

Mr. de Silva pulled his wife into his arms and held her gently. "Querida, if something happens and he does manage to come back, we can take care of it. There's no need to worry these two, they have enough to deal with as it is."

She sighed and then nodded her head. "Fine, but I still don't like this."


	33. Chapter 32

The final chapter has finally come. Enjoy!

-Chapter 32-

"Jesse, are you gonna open your locker or just stare at it all day?" Adam huffed.

"Sorry" I replied opening my locker and finding a heart post-it note on the inside. _'See you at the table. Love you! And stop worrying about your english test'_

I had to laugh at that. Susannah knew me way too well.

Adam looked over my shoulder and read the note, before giving an annoyed sigh. "Of course, a note from the Mrs. I should have guessed."

I quickly got my stuff for next class and shut my locker. "You sitting at the table today or are you still avoiding CeeCee?" I asked.

"I'm **not** avoiding CeeCee. Which is why I'll sit with you guys today" he answered not sounding very enthusiastic about it.

Ever since Adam and CeeCee had broken up things have been awkward between them. But Adam didn't really start avoiding CeeCee until about three weeks after they'd broken up, when CeeCee started going out with her current boyfriend, Dylan. I've only ever met Dylan twice, but each time he was the nicest guy, and you could tell he really cares for CeeCee. Susannah is the one who usually hangs out with CeeCee and Dylan, and she always has only nice things to say about him.

I nodded and led us through the enormous lunch crowd toward our table. When we managed to escape the horde of lower classman we spotted CeeCee and Susannah huddled together at our usual table.

"-Well I know you're not," Susannah said to CeeCee nudging her side playfully.

CeeCee laughed and replied, "yeah, but it was the right decision. What about you?"

"I'm a technical" Susannah answered blushing slightly.

"Really?" CeeCee asked sounding completely astonished, "I mean, you two have been together for forever and a day and you mean to tell me that you two never-?"

Susannah shook her head, "Cee you really think I would have and not told you about it? You'd be the first to know." CeeCee smiled brightly and nudged Susannah happily.

"So, how exactly are you a technical?" CeeCee questioned with obvious intrigue as Adam and I reached the table.

"A technical what?" Adam questioned sitting across from Susannah.

CeeCee and Susannah shot each other glances before closing a magazine they had been reading. "Nothing" they said.

Adam quickly reached over the table and snatched the magazine from CeeCee, which earned him an evil glare from both girls. He however didn't care about their glaring and looked through the magazine to see what they had been discussing.

Susannah sent me look which clearly said 'please get the magazine away from him'.

I nodded in understanding and looked over Adam's shoulder before quickly grabbing it from in front of him and handing it back to Susannah.

"Not cool man" Adam whined, "you didn't even look to see what they were reading."

"All **he** has to do is ask" CeeCee snapped back. She isn't exactly on good terms with Adam, seeing as how she dumped him after she caught him and another if his many girlfriends, being VERY friendly at the beach.

Susannah shook her head and stood up before turning to me. "Come with me to buy a drink?"

I dropped my backpack off and sent Adam a look that said 'Talk to her', meaning CeeCee.

Adam has been miserable ever since CeeCee broke up with him. At first he had gone about business as usual, flirting like crazy and going out every weekend. But when he saw CeeCee out with Dylan about two months ago and they were being rather friendly, he freaked out. It probably didn't help that no one had told Adam about how serious CeeCee and Dylan were or that they had been making out in a back corner of the Coffee Clutch.

"What were you and CeeCee talking looking at in the magazine?" I asked.

Susannah smiled, "just girl stuff."

"What was that technical stuff about?" I questioned looking over at her.

Again Susannah smiled at me, but she was sending me a mischievous smile this time.

"Not gonna tell me are you?" I asked with a laugh.

Susannah shook her head, still smiling but leaned up and placed a kiss on my cheek. "How was class?" she asked.

"It was okay, that test was a killer though. But studying yesterday really helped. Thank you again querida," I replied, wrapping an arm around her waist.

She smiled up at me and said, "No problem, studying was fun, although I still think we shouldn't have taken so many breaks."

"I happen to love our breaks, almost as much as I love you" I whispered in her ear before kissing her cheek. She gave me a brilliant smile and leaned up to kiss my cheek again.

Practically from the moment we met Susannah and I have been going out, which up until now brings us to about 9 months. Our parents are always joking about how much we already act like a married couple. And it's not just our parents cracking the jokes either, all our friends like teasing us too.

"Go ahead and buy a drink, I'm going to buy something to eat" I told her before unwrapping my arm from around her waist and starting to walk away, towards the lunch truck. But Susannah caught my arm and turned me back towards her. "You don't need to buy anything except a drink" she informed me looking smug.

"Please tell me you didn't pack me a lunch again," I said feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Nope, Andy packed it. He told me to tell you to stop eating the fried junk they sell at that truck," she replied, looking quite pleased with herself.

I shook my head but followed Susannah over to the vending machines to buy drinks. Susannah got her usual diet coke while I opted for a Snapple. We walked back to our table, drinks in hand, and heard yelling coming from the senior area. Uh oh.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM ANYWAY?" CeeCee shouted, her eyes looking like they might release a flood of tears at any second.

"I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM! THE SECOND YOU AND I BROKE UP I GOT RID OF ANY PROBLEM I HAD!" Adam yelled back.

"YOU MEAN THE SECOND I BROKE WITH YOU, YOU ARROGANT JERK" CeeCee cried.

"YOU WISH" Adam scoffed.

"YOU KNOW WHAT, I THINK YOU'RE JUST UPSET BECAUSE YOU'RE MISERABLE AND ALONE AND YOU THOUGHT THAT WITHOUT YOU I WOULD BE THE ONE DEPRESSED" CeeCee screamed with such venom in her voice I thought Adam would pee his pants.

"PLEASE, YOU'RE DATING A GOOBER, AN OLD GOOBER AT THAT. IF ANYTHING YOU'RE THE JEALOUS ONE, CAUSE I'M GOING OUT WITH THE HOTTEST GIRLS AROUND" Adam smirked.

"I THINK YOU MEAN THE SKANKIEST GIRLS AROUND, ASSHOLE. AND DYLAN IS THE SWEETEST, MOST MATURE MAN, AND FUNNIEST GUY I HAVE EVER MET. YOU'D BE LUCKY TO AMOUNT TO A TENTH OF WHAT HE IS" CeeCee hollered.

"WHY WOULD I EVER WANT TO BE LIKE THAT LOSER? I'M GLAD HE CAME AND TOOK YOU OFF MY HANDS, IT LEFT ME WITH TIME FOR GIRLS WHO ARE ACTUALLY READY TO HANDLE A MAN LIKE ME" Adam replied.

"A MAN? YOU ARE A SORRY EXCUSE OF A HUMAN BEING, AND NO WHERE NEAR A MAN. YOU'RE LIKE A THREE-YEAR OLD IN A TEEN'S BODY. AND THE ONLY REASON I NEVER WANTED TO BE WITH YOU IS BECAUSE FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD, YOU'VE GOT A TINY WEENIE AND MORE STDS THAN EVEN YOUR DOCTOR CAN HANDLE!" CeeCee yelled.

Adam's face drained of all color and he looked incredibly embarrassed. But CeeCee wasn't done yet. "AND ANOTHER THING, I NEVER CARED FOR YOU THE WAY I LOVE DYLAN. THAT'S WHY I NEVER SLEPT WITH **YOU**" she spat, eyes narrowed.

Adam looked close to tears as he sputtered, "You…you…you slept with him?"

CeeCee's eyes softened as she fully took in Adam's reaction, but she nodded her head without hesitation.

Adam stood still for a moment, just staring right at CeeCee, before he turned around and stalked off towards the parking lot. A few seconds later you could hear the sound of Adam's car burning rubber as he sped out of the lot.

Susannah rushed to CeeCee and wrapped her arms around her as CeeCee broke down in sobs and hugged Susannah tightly. "I…I-I can't b-be-lieve I j-just di-d that" CeeCee cried in between sobs.

"Cee, it's gonna be okay. He needed to hear that; he needed to hear that you're over him. I know it hurts, but it's for the best" Susannah whispered to CeeCee as she rubbed her back reassuringly.

After CeeCee stopped crying she rushed off to the bathroom and said she might just go home. That left Susannah and I all alone.

Susannah sat down on the bench and looked troubled. I sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Querida don't worry. CeeCee will be fine, she just needs some time to herself right now" I reassured her placing a kiss on her hair.

She looked up at me and nodded her head before scooting closer to me on the bench and hugging me tightly. "I just wish I could make things easier for her. I mean she's finally happy with Dylan and then Adam comes along and tries to ruin it for her. And why, just cause he's finally realized how important CeeCee was to him? If he really loves her then he should respect her choice and at least try to be happy for her" she sighed resting her head against my shoulder.

I tucked some hair behind her ear before agreeing, "I know but Adam just can't seem to believe that CeeCee is actually happy without him. I mean, he's miserable without her and I guess he just thought she would be the same way without him."

"I guess I can understand that, I just wish he wouldn't be so confrontational about everything. It really upsets Cee. I mean, she does still care about him and I know she loves him, she's just not in love with him anymore. They both deserve to be happy, whether they're together or not."

"They just need to work out their problems. Without yelling at each other," I added.

Susannah nodded her head in agreement before allowing a brief, but oddly comfortable silence to pass.

"Are you going to be able to come to my class today? I really need everyone to see how they **should** be doing the dance. They're completely butchering it."

I smiled down at her, "Yeah, but I'm going to have to bring Mapi along. She has a doctor's appointment, and my mom can't take her and get my other sister's."

"Yay! I love showing her off. I know she's not even related to me, but she's the cutest, sweetest kid ever" Susannah gushed.

I laughed and hugged her. "Are you excited about tomorrow?" I asked.

She lifted her head off my shoulder and looked up at me, a brilliant smile on her face. "Yeah, I can't wait. You already cleared up everything with Diego right?" Susannah replied.

"He's spending the night at his girlfriend's apartment" I answered.

Tomorrow is Susannah and I's actual nine-month anniversary. Besides that, tomorrow is also the day before graduation, and Father Dominic announced that none of the seniors were required to attend the last day of classes, which was usually just a day of yearbook signing and celebrating.

Susannah smiled a sly smile before unwrapping herself from me and rummaging through her backpack, pulling out a brown paper lunch bag and handing it to me. "Lunch is served" she stated.

&&&

"Do you need a ride to your dance class?" I asked Susannah as we walked together to our chemistry class.

"Sure, I was gonna walk, but how could I pass up a ride with you and Munch" she replied.

I laughed, "you know, you're the only person she lets call her that. Carmen tried once and it was not pretty."

Susannah smiled, "that's cause I mean it in a nice, playful way. Plus no one would know it's short for munchkin, if anything they'd think she munches or munched something. And besides I'm her favorite of all your friends."

"You're the favorite by default; she doesn't like CeeCee or Adam, who are the only other two of my friends that she's met" I teased.

Susannah stuck her tongue out at me as we reached the chem. classroom. "I still love why she doesn't like CeeCee. I mean just cause Cee's favorite color is blue is a pretty funny reason not to like her."

"To Mapi, blue is a boy color" I explained, "and only boys like blue. So she thinks if CeeCee likes blue she must be a boy, and the only boy Mapi likes is me."

We sat down at our usual table and got ready for class. Only playing footsie for a little while instead of the whole class like we've been known to do.

About halfway through class our teacher got a message saying that prom pictures could be picked up today after school in our homerooms'.

"Jesse do you think you could get our pictures? I really have to go to the bathroom plus I have to get my dance bag out of my locker" Susannah questioned after the announcement had been read.

"Yeah, no problem. You want me to wait to look at them so we can see them together?" I asked.

She nodded her head, a smile on her face. "And no peeking."

&&&

"Alright, class dismissed" our chem. teacher said. "Good luck to all the seniors on Friday."

Susannah and I walked out of the classroom together before going our separate ways, her to French, me to help Mr. Ochoa with his Spanish III class.

"I'll meet you after school at the preschool yard" Susannah called over her shoulder as she walked down the hall towards her French class. I stared after her until she was swallowed up by the crowd and then made my way to Mr. Ochoa's classroom.

Mr. Ochoa didn't really need me to do anything today but I helped as much as I could. Before school was supposed to let out he handed me Susannah and I's prom pictures so neither of us would have to be there for the stampede. He also thanked me for helping him this year and offered me a position as his TA, which he had already cleared with Father Dominic. I told him that if my class schedule allowed it, I'd help him out.

Now I had to go to my locker and then to get Mapi from the preschool area.

&&&

I made my way through the gate of the preschool yard, prom pictures in hand, and walked over to the school building. I peeked inside but didn't spot Mapi anywhere.

Okay, don't panic, she's probably in the bathroom and will meet me outside as she always does when I come to pick her up, in a few minutes. Nothing to freak out about yet, I told myself only half believing it.

I strolled over to the swing set and sat down on one of the swings. I must have been waiting a good five minutes, which gave me plenty of time to start worrying about the endless list of possibilities of what could possibly be taking Mapi so long, when I saw Susannah rushing through the gate, Mapi in tow. "Your brother is going to freak out if you aren't here when he comes to get you" Susannah huffed.

Mapi stopped walking and put her arms up to Susannah. Susannah sighed but bent down, picked up Mapi, and continued towards the school building. Apparently, the playground equipment hid me, because neither Susannah nor Mapi noticed me.

Susannah peeked inside the school building and when she didn't spot me, walked over to the tiny lunch tables set up and sat down with Mapi still clinging on to her.

"Suze, do you have dance class today?" Mapi asked Susannah, lifting her head from Susannah's shoulder.

Susannah smiled at Mapi, "yeah, and guess what. You get to come and watch today."

Mapi's face lit up, "really!"

Susannah smiled brightly, "yep, Jesse said so."

"I wanna dance just like you when I'm grownd up" Mapi said to Susannah.

"You should Munch, you'd be a great dancer" Susannah replied.

"I wanna be as good as you someday. And I wanna do all the different dances you do too" Mapi continued with a smile.

"You'll probably be better than me," Susannah said.

"I don't think so. I think you're uhmazing, and Jesse does too. He's always talking about how great you dance and udder stuff. Mommy and daddy are always making fun of him, saying he goes 'Susannah this, or Susannah that'. But he does do that" Mapi told Susannah, nodding her head for emphasis.

Okay, this is embarrassing. Does Susannah really need to know that I talk about her all the time? And to have her hear it from Mapi was only rubbing salt in the wound.

Susannah smiled. "Does he now?"

Mapi nodded her head even more. "Marta says that if Jesse isn't with you or talking to you, he's talking or thinking about you."

"All good stuff I hope."

"Jesse never says nothing bad about you Suze. He loves you" Mapi replied.

Susannah smiled bright. "I love him too. And you too Munch" she chimed before tickling Mapi. Mapi started giggling happily, trying to tickle Susannah back. When Susannah stopped Mapi told Susannah, hugging her, "I love you too Suze."

It was times like now that I had to pinch myself to see if this truly perfect woman was really with me, really in love with _me._

Every now and then I just look at Susannah and know I am really the luckiest guy in the world. I mean, how could I not realize that? Susannah is funny, adorable, sexy, loving, sometimes a wee bit crazy, but always thinking of everyone before herself, and she just completely loves and supports me in anything and everything. She knows me like no one else and cares about everything I do.

She adores my family, crazy as they may be, and they absolutely love her too. Even my father, who at first didn't like the idea of me being "tied down" with one girl, is now joking about how if I don't make a serious commitment to Susannah he's going to take up polygamy and snatch her up himself. Yeah, that only mildly disturbed and scarred me for life.

"Where **is** your brother?" Susannah asked to Mapi really, but not quite, looking back towards the schoolyard's gate.

"I dunno" Mapi sighed with a little yawn, "but I'm sleepy."

"Why don't you take a little nap Munch? I'll wake you up when we get to the dance studio" Susannah offered.

Mapi nodded her head and yawned again before snuggling into Susannah and resting her head on Susannah's shoulder. Susannah smiled to herself and slowly rubbed Mapi's back, easing her into a deep sleep.

I smiled at the image of Susannah and Mapi until I realized just how worried Susannah was starting to look. I didn't like to worry her so I quickly grabbed my backpack and stealthy walked back towards the gate as if I was just coming to get Mapi. About five steps after "walking through" the gate Susannah looked back over her shoulder and spotted me. Relief spread across her face, as did an adorable cheery smile.

"Hey, what took you so long? I was starting to get worried" Susannah greeted me, pulling me down for a quick peck on the lips.

"Sorry, getting prom pictures was frightening" I said. And okay I felt bad about lying but I was only lying a little bit and technically for those people who actually did have to go with the stampede to get their pictures, it probably was frightening. I'd just have to make it up to Susannah without her knowing.

Susannah nodded her head. "I saw the horde when I went to my locker. Luckily that left the bathroom practically empty so I didn't have to wait in line like I normally do."

I smiled at her and nodded towards Mapi's sleeping form. Susannah smiled, "she's just tired. I told her I'd wake her when we got to the dance studio. What time is her doctor's appointment at?"

"Four, so I won't be able to give you a ride home unless you wanna wait until I'm done with Mapi's doctor appointment" I answered.

"No that's okay, I think I can manage to find a ride, and if not I can just walk" she replied standing up slowly so as not to wake up Mapi.

"Querida, I don't want you out alone walking around after dark. Promise me, that if you can't get a ride you'll call me," I said, taking her backpack and dance bag from her.

She gave a sigh but nodded her head, "I promise."

"Are those our pictures?" she asked with a big smile.

"Yeah. And I didn't even peek" I answered with my own smile.

"Well, open 'em, I wanna see!" Susannah chimed trying to grab the plastic bag from my grasp.

I laughed and took out the picture holders, opening them so both Susannah and I could see.

There we stood, posed with Susannah's back to my front and my arms wrapped around her waist. Her hands were laced with mine over her middle and we both smiled brilliantly. We opened the photo holder with our other pose and smirked. We had chosen to create our own pose and it was a great picture of us. We were kind of facing each other, kind of facing the camera, and holding hands. Susannah had lifted one of her feet up, saying something about a movie she saw where a Princess and how her foot popped when she got a real kiss from her true love. I thought the idea was sweet and so I agreed; now I was glad I had agreed.

I don't know if it was just me, but the way Susannah was looking at me made me feel all warm and special, in the picture I mean. Although I've noticed a similar gleam in her eyes whenever she looks at me, but Marta has said that I have a gleam in my own eyes whenever I look at Susannah. Although her exact words were "you have this weird look in your eye whenever you look at Suze. It's like you make goo-goo eyes at her or something." Yeah, she's a great sister.

"Querida, you look beautiful. I mean you're always beautiful, but that night…you were positively radiant" I commented looking at Susannah in her gorgeous, floor-length, satin-y, black evening gown. I loved that dress and it took all my self-control to keep from drooling over her or ripping it off her and ravishing her. It had a deep v-neck and scooped low down her back. She had had her hair curled into loose spirals and partially tied up and back, a few curls cascading down her back. I don't know what it was, but it looked as if she were glowing.

She blushed an adorable pink shade and nudged my side. "Look at you" she replied nodding toward our picture, "you looked so sexy in your suit."

"I…I did?" I asked, because I distinctly remember being told I looked like a goof in my suit. Wait, Marta was the one that told me that and she always tells me I look like a goof.

"Yeah, I don't know what it is, but seeing a guy in a suit or even better, a tux just makes a girl all hot and bothered. But you, oh my gosh, you in a suit is a sight to behold. I mean if your aspiration to become a doctor doesn't work out you should seriously look into modeling" Susannah replied.

Now it was my turn to blush. Susannah is always going on about how "hot" I am but I don't really see it. I mean, I guess I'm okay looking, and I'm not horribly disfigured or anything but "hot" might be a stretch. But according to Susannah I'm "sexy" and "hot" and "handsome" and all that. I think that's just one of our things; because Susannah is the exact same way about her looks. She jokes around a lot but when you seriously talk to her about her appearance she merely shrugs and says, "I know I'm not seriously drop dead gorgeous, but I'm not a dog. I clean up pretty well." The crazy girl doubts her looks, now that is just wrong.

"Yes querida, that's exactly what I'll do. So, when people ask my parents what their son does for a living they can reply, 'Oh Jesse, he's a male model…No, he has a girlfriend…Yes, she's an actual girl…Yes, I'm positive…Of course I know her…Yes, after I met her I still think she's a real girl."

Susannah laughed heartily, "Okay I can see that happening, but I'd be there to support you, even when people question your sexual orientation and/or my gender."

"How kind of you" I joked.

"I thought so too" she giggled.

"So what is it exactly that I'm doing in your class? It sounded like you mentioned me **dancing**, but surely I must be mistaken" I said as we began walking through the schoolyard, towards the parking lot.

Susannah looked up at me and smiled mischievously. "You really don't give yourself enough credit in the dancing department. You can dance a whole lot better than the average teenage male."

"And the only reason I can dance is because I've been dancing with you querida. And the average males that you happen to hang out with could all win 'So You Think You Can Dance' in their sleep," I replied as we walked through one of the school's breezeways, "but that still doesn't answer my question."

As we made our way closer to the parking lot we noticed people staring at us with 'oh-so-cute' faces. A couple of girls even stopped walking and stared at us for a few seconds before beginning to walk again. After almost nine months you'd think people would stop giving us those looks, but no, we get looks like those **at least** twice a day.

"Remember that tango I taught you last week? The one we practiced yesterday during one of our many study breaks" Susannah said, just as we reached the parking lot.

"Yeah, the one you're performing with Jasmine's boyfriend, right? The one for that competition in a few months?" I asked.

Susannah nodded, "yeah that tango. Except that Jasmine's boyfriend can't compete with me because he's going to be in school."

"You'll be in school too" I pointed out.

"Yeah, but not in London" Susannah explained. "So Cameron found this new guy that's supposed to watch our practice today. And Cameron said that if the guy wants to join our group I can audition him for my partner."

Cameron is Susannah's ballroom dance instructor. He's a nice guy and really helps Susannah perfect her dancing abilities. It's getting a bit hard to keep Susannah's dance instructors' names right; she just has so many. I mean there's Josh for hip-hop, Maxine for ballet, Cameron for ballroom, and Eileen for modern. Not to mention the other teachers she has for other physical activities like yoga, spinning, and kickboxing.

How she finds time for all these classes, plus school and homework, and time for me is truly mystifying. Sometimes I think she must have clones of herself and all of them go to different classes on certain days.

"So who's this new guy Cameron is hoping to partner you with?" I questioned as we spotted my car about ten feet in front of us.

"I don't know really. He's supposed to be some hotshot ballroom dancer from Seattle. He comes highly recommended and Cameron won't stop gushing about all the competitions he's won. All I know to be positively true is that he's our age and going to be attending NoCal starting next fall" Susannah answered as we reached the car. I quickly dropped our bags into the trunk before hauling out Mapi's car seat and opening one of the back doors. I buckled in the car seat before motioning for Susannah to pass me Mapi. She, however, shook her head and shooed me out of her way before gently placing Mapi in her car seat and strapping her in securely.

"I missed you" I cooed, pulling Susannah into my arms, after she stepped out of the car.

She smiled at me and replied, "really? Because you know you only went about an hour, hour and a half, without seeing me."

"I always miss you querida, whether we've just seen each other five minutes ago or I haven't seen you all day" I whispered into her ear before nuzzling my face in her hair.

She sighed deeply and pressed herself closer to me, her lips moving against my neck as she spoke, "I missed you too Jesse." She laid gentle but hot kisses on my neck then reached up to my jaw line. I pulled away slightly and looked into her emerald eyes, seeing all the emotions she was feeling at the moment, and captured her lips in a sweet, yet firm kiss.

We pulled apart after a few moments, our foreheads against each other's and caught our breath. I smiled down at her before giving her one last kiss on the lips and tugging her behind me to the other side of the car. I opened the passenger door for her and helped her into her seat, closing the door behind her. I went around to the driver's side and angled in behind the wheel, taking a peek at Mapi through the rear view mirror.

"Don't worry she won't wake up until we get there, then she's gonna be like a kid on a major sugar high" Susannah said, leaning back in her seat.

"Think you know her so well, don't you?" I teased.

"I don't think I know her, I know I know her. Don't believe me? Just wait till we get there" Susannah sighed.

&&&

"Jesse hurry up!" Mapi cried excitedly as she bounded to Susannah and raised her arms in the air. Susannah picked up Mapi and turned to give me a 'told you so' look with a little smirk.

Girls. My father had once told me that the best advice he could ever give me was to never try to understand women. I hadn't paid him any mind at the time seeing as how I was eleven, but now that statement rang out in my head as quite possibly the most genius thing my father has ever said.

I trailed after Susannah, catching up to her at the entrance to the studio. I held the door open for her and Mapi and followed after them into the building.

"Suze! And… a kid" Ben said looking confused, then even more so when I came in behind them. The girls that had a moment ago been absorbed in conversation rushed over to Susannah and Mapi and surrounded them.

"Hey Jesse" a couple of the other guys nodded. I was a regular attendant of Susannah's dance class so they were used to my presence and had actually become my friends.

"Hey guys" I replied joining them just a short distance from the group of girls.

"That kid, she's a cutie gotta give you that. I didn't know you and Suze had a kid already. How old is she?" one of the guys asked.

I stared at him for a second, trying to process if he was seriously asking me this. "We don't…that's not…I mean, we do…well, not really, but…I…Susannah…my sister" I stammered incoherently. The guys however have somehow learned 'how to speak Jesse' as Susannah so nicely put it, because they nodded in understanding.

"What's her name?" questioned another of the guys.

"Mapi" I answered looking over my shoulder to the crowd of girls. I caught sight of Mapi and saw that she was giggling happily, as Susannah smiled down at her.

"Alright children" Cameron called from the back of the room, "let's get this show on the road. We've only got an hour and a half today because the hip-hop kids need to practice their routine for a competition next week."

Susannah emerged from the circle of girls, Mapi set on her hip, and mouthed 'bathroom' to me. I nodded and followed them out to the bathroom down the hallway. The bathroom is co-ed so Susannah helped Mapi into a stall before coming over to where I was standing near the sinks. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed herself very close to me. I rested my hands on her waist and breathed her in.

Susannah's scent is intoxicating, I don't know what it is, but she always smells incredible to me. And she started using this new perfume a few weeks ago that smells great on her, and now every time I smell that perfume I can't help but think of Susannah and how much better it smells on her.

"I really don't wanna be here today. I just wanna hang out with you" she whispered before trailing light but fiery kisses on my neck.

I sighed and held her tighter to me, "I wish we could do just that but you have that competition next week, plus I've got a surprise for you later."

"What kind of surprise?" she breathed now kissing along my jaw.

"A good one…" I breathed, losing all thoughts as Susannah gave me a lingering kiss on the lips.

"Really? Cause I've got a surprise for you too. It's a **really** good one too" she purred going back to kissing my neck, before nipping my earlobe. It took all my self-control not to moan when she did, and she knew it too.

"I like your surprises, especially the **really **good ones" I sighed before leaning down and kissing Susannah's neck, especially this one spot that I know drives her crazy.

That was no lie either, I loved surprises from Susannah. The last surprise from her was a private performance of a dance routine she'd done at an event I hadn't been able to go to. Well the performance turned into a bit of a striptease and led to some experimenting in the bedroom on both our parts. Not like in weird or gross experimenting, we just tried something new. Well, new for us.

You see, Susannah and I haven't had sex yet. That's not to say we haven't done other things, we just haven't done IT. We've discussed the issue on multiple occasions and decided that we'll wait until both of us are ready, and when either of us feels they're ready we'll talk about what the other is thinking on the matter.

I ended up being the one ready first and told Susannah, without trying to pressure her. She had been slightly embarrassed when after I told her that she admitted she didn't think she was entirely ready for IT. The night of the striptease though, we almost…you know. But I couldn't do it when I thought that maybe she still wasn't ready. I want everything to be perfect, and completely consensual.

"Jesse" Susannah sighed all moan-like as I continued to kiss that one sweet spot of her's.

And then we heard a flush and Mapi unlocking the stall door. We begrudgingly broke apart and I went to help Mapi wash her hands.

We walked back into the dance studio and Susannah went to change her shoes while Mapi and me took a chair near the back of the room.

"Alright kiddies seeing as how you're all having such a difficult time getting the tango routine Suze is gonna demonstrate how it **should** be done" Cameron said before taking his usual spot right in front of the cabinet with the sound system.

Susannah stepped into the middle of the room and motioned for me to join her.

Oh boy. I lifted Mapi off my lap and got up, sitting her down in my place.

"Where you going big brodder?" she asked. I kneeled down in front of her so we were on the same level and replied, "Susannah showed me to dance they're learning and she wants to show everyone else how to do the dance right."

"You're gonna dance in front of all dese people? With Suze?" she questioned.

I nodded, "and you get to watch. Just don't tell anyone about this."

She smiled up at me, "kay, but I wanna happy meal after we go to the doctor's."

I smiled at her, "deal" I replied before joining Susannah in the middle of the room.

"Don't be nervous, just pretend we're back in your room taking a study break. It's just the two of us, no one else" Susannah whispered to me.

I nodded and took her waist with one hand, taking hold of her free hand with my other. The music started and I pictured my room. It's just you and Susannah, I told myself, actually starting to believe it. And I moved with Susannah, spinning her around, and twirling her into me. Just like we practiced, we stepped in unison, moving together and against each other. And before I knew it the song ended and we tried catching our breath. The room came back into focus and I looked over at Mapi. Her eyes were big and wide, but she had a huge smile on her face.

Everyone stared at us for a few seconds before actually standing up and clapping.

"Now **that** was a tango" Cameron commented from his little corner. Susannah and I smiled at each other, happily.

"I told you it wouldn't be that bad. Too bad you can't be my partner" Susannah pouted.

I smiled at her and kissed her cheek before I went back to my seat and sat Mapi on my lap.

"What'd you think Mapi-posa?" I asked.

"You and Suze should dance together more. You guys looked so cool and I liked the dance it was awesome!" she exclaimed.

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed it so much because we have to get going if we wanna make it to your doctor's office on time" I informed her.

"But Jesse" she whined, "I don't wanna go. What if they give me a shot? I don't wanna cry!"

"Mapi, don't worry. You're up to date on all your shots; you just need something for your cold. And if for some odd reason they do give you a shot I promise to add a chocolate sundae to your lunch" I reassured her.

Her face lit up and she smiled up at me, "Well, okay. But only if it has whipped cream and a cherry on top."

"With whipped cream and a cherry on top" I replied.

Mapi hopped off my lap and ran over to Susannah, right in the middle of a dance. I shook my head and mouthed 'sorry' to her and Cameron who just waved their hands saying it was okay.

I got up and collected Mapi before saying bye to Susannah.

"Bye querida, call me when you get home so we can figure out when I'm picking you up" I said giving her a brief peck on the lips.

She nodded, "okay, talk to you later. Love you."

I smiled and kissed her again, "Love you too."

"I love you too Suze!" Mapi cheered.

Susannah laughed and hugged Mapi, "And I love you Munch. Feel better."

"Come on Mapi-posa, I don't wanna be late" I said as we exited the room. I looked over my shoulder and Susannah waved before blowing me a kiss. I smiled and waved back to her over my shoulder.

&&&

Seven o'clock.

It's now seven o'clock and Susannah still hasn't called. I was getting a tad bit worried. She's been out of her class for about half an hour, and still she hasn't called. Something must be wrong; she always calls.

I looked around my room for anything to distract me, but everything seemed so far away from my bed. My cell phone however was right beside me on my nightstand. Ugh. I grabbed my phone and hit speed dial 4.

This week Susannah's ring-back tone for me is "SexyBack", last week it had been "Buttons" so this was a welcome change, because that song had been getting to me. I started overanalyzing and thinking 'maybe she's trying to tell me something with this song. Or maybe she accidentally set this song for me when really it's for her other boyfriend. Or worse, Ben.'

Ben is not a person I like to think about, but I have to because he's friends with Susannah, much to my chagrin. He's always making innuendoes around her and saying really inappropriate things. Plus it's quite obvious that he likes her, Susannah I mean. And the boy trails after her like a little puppy. As soon as Susannah started taking the ballroom class, Ben signed up for it. Same exact thing with Modern, ballet however, he couldn't get into because he has no previous training, so ha!

"Hello" Susannah laughed into the phone. In the background I could hear someone else laughing with her.

"Querida? Are you home yet?" I asked.

She burst into peals of laughter sighing, "Ben stop it, I'm on the phone." To me she replied, "Sorry, what was that?"

"Are you at home yet? I was wondering what time I should pick you up," I said through gritted teeth.

"I'm on my way home right now actually. You wanna pick me up in half an hour?" she said in between giggles. "Ben I mean it, cut it out. I'm trying to talk to Jesse" she scolded him.

"Well, why don't you just get dropped off at my house. You can shower here and then we can go" I suggested. Hey it seemed logical to me. Well, sort of.

"Uhh, sure, I don't see why not. Hold on" she told me.

"Ben, come on, this way, we're going to Jesse's instead" she said to him.

I heard some mumbling before Susannah replied with, "No, we're going to Jesse's. I told you I wasn't coming over before we left, stupid." She laughed after saying this and then I heard a groan.

Definitely not Susannah's groan; her's is more throat-y. Like-…never mind, I'm not going to discuss how Susannah groans because that leads to very dangerous thoughts.

"Querida, is Ben driving?" I questioned listening for the sounds of an engine running, but not hearing anything except wind and Susannah's laughter, along with some mumblings from, I'm assuming Ben.

"Huh?" she sighed into the phone.

"Is Ben driving?" I repeated.

"Oh, no, we're walking. Don't get mad! I promised you I wouldn't walk alone after dark, and I'm not. Besides the sun is barely setting right now, so technically it's not dark yet" she reasoned.

I let out a deeply annoyed sigh. "I'm not mad querida," I said, and how could I be when she had done exactly as she said she would. "Just hurry here, I miss you" I cooed in what I hoped was my best 'sexy voice'.

I heard her sigh all content like and then reply, "Whatever you're thinking, hold it cause I'll be there in three minutes, and I really miss you too."

I smiled to myself, I guess that was my 'sexy voice'. "Okay, see you in a few. Love you" I said, still trying out my 'sexy voice'.

"Love you too" she breathed. Then I heard her yell, "Ben, haul ass I have to get to Jesse's now!" And then she disconnected.

I put my cell phone back on my nightstand and scanned my room for mess.

Nope, I had finally washed and cleaned last weekend so all was tidy and organized. Even my bed was made. I climbed off my bed and peeked in my bathroom, same cleanliness there.

I went downstairs and immediately spotted Marta, looking very frustrated. I looked more closely before I noticed that she was rummaging through my backpack, mumbling "Where are they?"

"Looking for something in particular?" I asked looking smug.

Marta looked up, startled by my voice, "Oh, uhh…I thought you were going out with Suze tonight. Thought you were gone already" she stammered.

"What exactly are you looking for in my backpack?" I questioned.

"Ahh…a pencil?" she squeaked.

"Are you telling me or asking me that?" I said.

"Telling" she squeaked in reply.

"Uh-huh. Well my pencils are in the pencil bag in the front pouch. But Susannah and I's prom pictures are upstairs in my room. You can see them later, just don't go sneaking in there right now, at least have the decency to wait until I really do leave" I advised her.

She blushed a deep pink, before nodding her head and high-tailing it out of the room.

I closed up my backpack and placed it in our coat closet. I went over to the front window after I was sure I heard Susannah.

I pulled back the curtain a little and saw Susannah running from Ben. She was smiling but shrieking as he chased her toward my house.

"Jesse! Door" she yelled as she barreled up my front path, Ben hot on her heels. I smiled, realizing she knew I would be waiting for her by the door. I went over to the door and opened it up just in time for Susannah to plow into me.

"Safe!" she said to Ben through ragged breaths, clinging on to me.

"Nice to see you too querida" I teased.

She looked up at me and smiled. "Sorry" she panted, "Ben thought he could beat me here and then he started tickling me and I ran faster then you'd ever believe." I smiled down at her and kissed the top of head, wrapping her up in my arms.

"Thanks for walking her over" I said to Ben with a nod.

He grunted in response before dropping Susannah's dance bag in the doorway and taking off. "Later Suze" he called over his shoulder.

"Bye" she yelled back, hugging me tightly. Then to me, "Still holding that thought?" she asked mischievously. I smiled back at her, kicked her dance bag inside, and shut the door. Then I scooped up Susannah and ran up the stairs with her, to my room.

She brought her lips onto mine as I fumbled to open my door, while still holding up Susannah. Finally I got the door open and then kicked it shut behind us.

"Jesse" Susannah moaned into my mouth. I sighed as her fingers gently massaged my scalp, and her tongue teased mine.

"Shower, I need a shower" she panted after she pulled away for a second. I nodded, and walked us into the bathroom, setting Susannah down on the counter. She kicked off her shoes as I turned on the water and then hurried back over to her. I kissed her again, this time more feverently, and ran my hand up her thigh, enjoying the little noises she was making.

One of her hands lifted the hem of my t-shirt up and tugged it off my body. I did the same to Susannah and was particularly happy she had worn a shirt with a built in bra, because those sports bras she wears sometimes are hell to take off.

"Did you lock the door this time?" Susannah asked, out of breath. I quickly remembered what happened last time and ran back into my bedroom and locked the door, then I locked my bathroom door just to be extra safe.

A few weeks ago Susannah had come over after her dance class and I let her use my shower. I told everyone I was going to be doing homework, and that we'd be down later for dinner. Well, I had started on homework, until Susannah peeked her head out of the bathroom door and told me I was out of soap. I went and got her a bar, but before she could duck her head back into the bathroom I kissed her, and well one thing led to another and we ended up showering together. Only Marta came into my room for something and saw I wasn't in there. So she looked for me and when she didn't find me I guess she realized where I might be, because next thing I knew Marta was banging on my bathroom door, yelling something about Susannah. And well, Susannah opened the door and peeked her head to see what Marta wanted, but Marta barged in and was going on and on about how she caught us red handed and that she was going to tell my parents. (Although they wouldn't really say anything except remind us to be safe, since they're already convinced we're having sex) But we managed to calm Marta down, only to have Josefina walk in and see Marta all red from yelling, and Susannah and I in only towels. It took her about two seconds to realize what was going on and she freaked out. And I mean really freaked out, like worse the Marta. So Susannah and I had refrained from showering together at my house, but right now, we needed this; I needed this.

"Locked and secure" I told her as I made my way back to the counter she was sitting atop. We started kissing again and I felt Susannah unzipping my jeans, before pushing them down my legs. I hurriedly stepped out of them and lifted Susannah up to tug down her skirt. After the skirt was off and we each only had on our bottom underwear we walked, well stumbled really, over to the shower and stripped off our undies.

"Come on, I feel dirty" Susannah said grabbing my hand and pulling me into the shower behind her.

"So do I" I replied with a smirk, before pinning her against the tile wall. She smiled back at me, "I'm sure you do."

&&&

"Hey Jesse, did I leave some lotion here?" Susannah asked from the bathroom.

I pulled on the boxers I had been grabbing from my dresser drawer and walked over to the bathroom. "Yeah, I think it's under the sink. If not try that drawer" I said pointing to a drawer.

She looked under the sink and didn't find it so checked the drawer. She grabbed her lotion and looked back at me through the mirror, a smile on her face. I smiled back and wrapped her up in my arms from behind.

"Hmmm" she sighed, leaning back against my chest and putting her arms over mine. I leant down and planted light kisses on her shoulders.

"Jesse" she breathed. I don't know what it was, but something in her voice made me look up to the mirror to see her eyes. And what I saw left me in awe. Her eyes were swirling with emotions, but love was mostly prominent and that made me smile brightly. But mixed in there was something I've never seen before, something so raw and emotional it almost scared me.

"Susannah, what're you thinking?" I asked, holding her tightly.

"Jesse, I…I…" she tried to say as she stared into my eyes. "I think, I'm…well, I know…I'm-"

"Jesse, Suze! Dinner!" Marta yelled, banging on my bedroom door.

"Querida, what were you saying?" I questioned, thinking, hoping she had been about to say what I think she was about to say.

"Oh, umm…we can talk about it later. We should get dressed and get downstairs, you know how your dad gets when we make him wait to eat" she mumbled before scurrying into my bedroom to get dressed.

I walked out after her, kind of confused. "Querida it looked like you were having a conversation with yourself about something serious. What's going on?" I asked.

"Nothing, I told you, we can talk about it later. After dinner are we going somewhere?" she questioned dropping her towel and hurriedly getting dressed. I know I've seen her naked before, but every time I see her, even with clothes on, she just takes my breathe away. And this time is no different. This time I want to grab her and push her on my bed and ravish her completely, but I know I can't, so I tried to calm myself down and concentrate on getting dressed.

"Yes, we're going out, and then we're staying the night at the apartment" I answered pulling on an undershirt and a pair of jeans.

"Really? I thought we only had it for tomorrow" Susannah asked with a smile, as she clipped on her bra and pulled a blouse over her head.

"No, I got Diego to stay away for tonight too. He said he's almost done moving his stuff out anyway" I replied.

Susannah sighed, "I can't wait until we get to move in and have the whole place to ourselves." I watched as she zipped up her skirt and then walked over to her and hugged her close to me. "I can't wait either" I murmured into her hair.

&&&

"Finally! Took you guys long enough" Marta whined as Susannah and I took our places at the table.

"Sorry, I took really long in the shower" Susannah fibbed.

My father nodded, in understanding, but gave me a wink that will haunt me forever. I was going to say something about how we hadn't been doing what he apparently thinks we'd been doing, but my mother came bustling out of the kitchen, a plate of chicken enchiladas in her hands.

Susannah started to get up to help her but my mother said, as she always does when Susannah has dinner here, "Mija siéntese, I've got everything under control."

"Are you sure?" Susannah asks, repeating their routine.

"Positive, you just sit there and look pretty" my mother said with a smile. And Susannah blushed, as always.

Dinner was going pretty much business as usual, dessert had been eaten and my mother had cleared away the dishes with my father's help. The all my sisters went to watch TV with my parents, except Marta who followed Susannah and I into the kitchen.

I poured Susannah a glass of water while I opted for a Sobe, and Marta popped open a Dr. Pepper. We were just relaxing and talking about nothing in general until out of the corner of my eye I saw Susannah pop a pill in her mouth and gulp down some water. I sent her a questioning glance and she just smiled back at me.

Just then my phone beeped, saying I had a text message from Adam. I was replying to it when I saw Marta nudge Susannah's side. "What was that?" I heard Marta ask Susannah. They were seated next to each other, with me on the other side of the table, so I could listen in.

"Nothing" Susannah replied in a hushed tone.

"You gonna stick with that story or tell me the truth?" Marta huffed back.

"Vitamin, so relax" Susannah murmured.

"Yeah cause all vitamins look like birth control pills" Marta sarcastically said.

Birth control pills? You don't need birth control pills unless you're sexually active. Which Susannah and I aren't, so why would she be taking them? Nombre de Dios what if she's sexually active with someone else? I think I might go into a deep depression if that's true.

Susannah kicked her under the table and gave her an evil glare. "Would you be quiet, I don't want anyone to know" Susannah whispered, cautiously looking towards me. I averted my gaze to the screen on my cell phone and started typing a response to Adam. "Especially your brother," Susannah added.

"Why not? It's not exactly like we don't all know what you guys are doing up there in Jesse's room" Marta teased.

"What!" Susannah hissed, "you really think that I'm up there doing it with your brother while all you guys are home, plus your parents! That'd be beyond sick."

"Wait, you guys aren't…doing it?" Marta asked sounding completely surprised.

"No, we're not 'doing it" Susannah scoffed, "not upstairs in Jesse's room, not anywhere."

"Let me get this straight" Marta mumbled, "you guys have been going out for nine months and you're telling me that you two aren't sleeping together? What about all those nights you guys stay at Diego's apartment? You expect me to believe you're talking and playing Monopoly all night?"

"Believe what you want, but I'm actually telling you that me and your brother aren't sleeping together" Susannah sighed.

Was that disappointment in her voice? Or was I just imagining that?

"Wow, you're serious. So if you two aren't doing it, what's with the birth control pills? You aren't seeing someone else are you?" Marta questioned her eyes wide.

Do I want to hear this response, really?

"How can you even think that!" Susannah snapped, "Of course I'm not cheating on Jesse. The pill is just a precaution. Well, that and my mom is convinced were doing it, so she keeps me fully stocked with birth control pills and condoms. And as if that isn't awkward enough, Andy talked to me about the responsibility of sex and the pressure it can put on a relationship."

Great now all of our parents think we're having sex. That's just great.

Marta laughed quietly and gave Susannah a pat on the arm. "You know at first I didn't see how you and Jesse would work out, but ever since you guys have been together he's been this weird, nicer version of himself. That, and he's gotten so chatty! You should hear how he goes on about you when you're not around."

Susannah laughed lightly, "so I've heard. But you know I do the same thing, as you've told me on multiple occasions."

Marta nodded her head, "you guys are really perfect together. And you won't believe what my dad told Jesse the other day! They were talking in the kitchen and I heard cause I was in the living room, and anyway, my dad was telling Jesse about how he had better make a serious-"

"Querida, you ready to go?" I asked shutting my phone, before Marta could finish.

"Well, I…I was sort of talking to Marta, can we hang out for a few more minutes?" Susannah replied with an innocent smile.

"We could" I whispered, grasping her hands in mine across the table, and bringing her hand up to my mouth to lay a sweet kiss on her palm. "Or we could leave now and spend the rest of the night at the apartment."

"And what exactly would we do there?" she questioned, with a gleam in her eyes.

"I'm sure we'll find something to do" I said, placing another kiss on her palm, only this one was longer.

She shivered and gave me a big smile. "Just let me get my stuff together." She pranced happily upstairs, as Marta sent me a disgusted look. "I don't know what you said to her, but you're gross."

I grinned at her, but said nothing.

"You know, I don't even wanna think about what you said to Suze. Her poor virgin ears we're probably ringing" Marta sighed.

Susannah bounced down the stairs, a grin of face, and asked, "ready to go?"

"Ugh" Marta huffed, getting up and moving past Susannah up the stairs, "you guys are weird."

"She's just getting that now?" Susannah asked with a laugh.

"Well you know Marta, she's always been a bit slow" I joked.

Susannah smacked my arm lightly, "don't say that about your sister, that's mean."

"Querida it's my duty as her brother to insult her" I replied.

Susannah shook her head but grabbed my hand and led us to the front door.

"Where are you kids off to?" my father questioned appearing out of no where.

"Out" I replied automatically.

"Movie maybe, then just hang out, and then I'm staying at CeeCee's house so Jesse's gonna drop me off before he goes to hang out with Diego" Susannah answered nudging my side to tell me not to be so short with my dad.

"Oh, you two aren't staying _together_ tonight?" my father asked looking like he was disappointed in me for some odd reason that I really don't want to think about.

"No" I said with faux shock, "why would you think a thing like that?"

Susannah stood hands on hips, looking at my father expectantly.

He gulped and eyed us both with fearful eyes. "Uhh…no reason. I just assumed you guys would want to stay together the night before your anniversary" he practically squeaked.

"Mr. de Silva," Susannah gasped, "Jesse and I don't stay together in **that** way."

He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before mumbling an apology and then scurrying out of the room.

We exited the house before Susannah and I both erupted in laughter. "That was mean" Susannah breathed in between laughs, "but so much fun. I mean, did you see the look on your dad's face."

"Serves him right. I can't believe he actually said that to you" I replied, catching my breath.

"He said it to both of us, but you seem more embarrassed about it than snippy, has he said anything like that to you before?" she questioned as we reached my car and I opened Susannah's door for her.

I took my time as I walked around the car to the driver's side and climbed in. Susannah looked at me expectantly, waiting for my response.

"Well…yeah" I mumbled.

"What! Why didn't you say anything to me?" she squawked.

"Wha…What was I supposed to say? I mean how exactly do I bring that up in conversation?"

"I don't know, but it would have been nice to have been informed of the fact that your dad thinks we're having sex" Susannah snapped.

"Yeah about as nice as being told that your girlfriend is on birth control pills" I muttered.

"How-When…how did you find out?" Susannah gawked.

"I overheard you and Marta earlier," I admitted. "Querida, why didn't you just tell me? It's not like I would have been angry.

"Well…I…my mom just assumed that we were sexually active so she got me tested and started on the pill" she explained.

"How long ago?" I questioned.

"A few months ago" she answered blushing a deep pink. "What about your parents?"

"My parents bought me a carton of condoms and took me to get tested, besides giving me the most awkward sex talk in the history of mankind" I replied.

"A carton?" Susannah asked incredulously.

I nodded feeling embarrassed beyond belief.

"Are they in your room?"

I shook my head and mumbled, "At the apartment."

I don't know why exactly but I felt ashamed of myself for keeping that carton of condoms. I hadn't even told Diego about it so he could grab some if he ever needed one; I just tucked the carton under my bed and left them. Maybe I just thought we'd be using them eventually, but I still felt ashamed of myself.

"Jesse, let's go over to the apartment, we should talk about this. Plus, I still have to give you your surprise" Susannah sighed, placing her hand over mine on the steering wheel.

I looked over at her and smiled before leaning over and giving her a peck on the lips. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my father, querida, and I'm sorry I eavesdropped you and Marta's conversation."

She smiled at me, "I forgive you. And I'm sorry I didn't just tell you about my mom and the birth control pills. You deserve to know about stuff that affects us both."

"It's alright querida, I wasn't even upset, just confused really. I love you" I assured her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you too" she sighed happily.

&&&

"All clear" I declared as I made my way back through the apartment, to the kitchen.

"So, you really got Diego out for two days?" Susannah asked, sitting on the kitchen counter, her legs swinging in front of her, sounding impressed: and rightfully so, because of these two nights and one-day I'm indebted to Diego. Diego is not someone you want to be indebted to; the last time I owed him one, I had to break up with his girlfriend for him, in person, mind you.

"Yeah" I replied, attempting to sound quite proud of myself, while really I was already dreading whatever heinous task Diego would ask me to do for him.

"You owe him big, don't you?" Susannah guessed with a laugh.

"Yep, and now I'm freaking out about what he might make me do" I admitted walking over to Susannah and wrapping her up in my arms.

She snuggled against my chest and wrapped her arms around me, absentmindedly raking her fingers through my hair on the back of my head, right above my neck where my hair tends to do this weird curling thing.

"Jesse," she breathed with a smile in her voice. I pulled back to look in her eyes and was greeted by the same unfamiliar, vulnerable almost, emotion swirling in her emerald eyes from earlier.

"Querida, you've got this look in your eyes, almost like you're hungry, what's going on?" I questioned.

"Earlier, when Marta interrupted us in the bathroom, I was going to tell you something" she sighed taking a deep breath. Was it just me or did she seem nervous?

"I…I…it's your surprise" she stammered, turning a shade of pink.

I looked at her feeling very confused; what does my surprise have to do with that scary look in her eyes?

"Jesse, what I'm trying to say is…well…I'm-you know…. Ready…now" she pieced together.

I stared at her, feeling even more confused now. "You're ready?" I mumbled, before the realization finally dawned on me.

She's _ready._ Nombre de Dios, she's _ready_. As in…well, _ready_.

"Are you… you're sure?" I questioned.

She gave me a nervous smile before nodding her head. I don't think my head was in control by this time because I'm pretty sure I lunged at her and kissed her senseless.

When we had to pull apart to breath, Susannah beamed at me, "Jesse, I wanna be with you tonight."

"You have no idea how badly I've wanted to hear you say that" I blurted.

Susannah smiled and pecked my lips before sliding off the kitchen counter and breezing past me to my bedroom, giving me a coy smile over her shoulder.

I zoomed after her and tackled her onto the bed, kissing her as much as possible and letting my hands roam.

"Jesse, you've got condoms right? Cause the few I have are in my car or at home" she explained.

"Yeah, under the bed" I answered with a smile before pecking her lips and climbing over her to look under the bed for the carton of condoms I'd left there. Only they weren't there. My entire carton is gone! Diego is a dead man.

"What's wrong?" Susannah asked running her fingernails down the length of my back, causing me to shiver.

"It's gone" I muttered sitting back up on the bed, "my carton is gone."

"The **whole **carton!" she gasped. "Well, you've got to have at least one somewhere else, right? In your wallet maybe?"

"I don't keep a condom in my wallet all the friction messes it up, maybe in my bathroom, though. And if not Diego has to have some somewhere" I said feeling extremely frustrated.

Susannah gave me a lingering kiss, and placed her palms on my chest, " relax, Diego is bound to have some."

I rested my forehead against her's and smiled before giving her a brief kiss. I hopped off the bed and went to my bathroom, searching everywhere only to find they weren't there.

I rushed to Diego's bathroom and scoured every inch, but didn't find not one condom. What the hell is wrong with Diego? You don't just steal your little cousin's carton of condoms, and not say anything; that's just plain hateful.

Next I tore through his bedroom, looking in his drawers, in his closet and then after finding nothing, which didn't entirely surprise me since he already moved most of his stuff into his girlfriend's place. I checked under his bed, my hope already dashed, but feeling desperate enough to chance a look.

But there, under Diego's bed sat my carton of condoms, completely full. He hadn't even taken one? Diego has some serious explaining to do. Well, after I lose my virginity to my extremely hot girlfriend.

Nombre de Dios, I'm about to lose my virginity.

"Jesse, you find 'em?" Susannah asked sauntering into my view. I glanced over my shoulder at her and had to do a double take, turning around to face her. There she stood, fidgeting with the hem of a very short negligee. It clung to her curves and hugged her in all the right places, dipping low and revealing the top part of her cleavage. It was a lacy black silky number and I had to remind myself to shut my mouth so I wouldn't openly drool.

"Querida" I squeaked, "uhh…under…bed…umm…wow…Nombre de Dios."

She blushed and gave me a nervous smile before mumbling, "I…if you've got 'em, let's go back to your room."

I opened my mouth to reply but no words would come out, so I nodded my head in response and walked over to her. I peeked down at her chest and noticed I could see a lot more from this point of view but snapped my gaze back up to her face.

She took my hand and gave it a little squeeze, looking at me intently. I pulled her body so it was flush with mine and brought my lips to her's.

After a bit of kissing we rushed back, clinging onto each other, to my, well, soon to be our, room. We collapsed back onto the mattress together and took things slowly, knowing what was to come made us both nervous and we wanted to savor our last moments together before we cashed in our V-cards.

And before I knew it clothes were flying off and we were both ready.

"Jesse, I love" Susannah breathed kissing along my jaw line.

I smiled into her hair and gently pushed her onto her back, "I love you too querida."

&&&

"Hmmm" Susannah sighed stretching and placing a few kisses on my chest, "how long have you been up?"

"Just a little while. I didn't want to wake you up, you looked so peaceful" I told her nuzzling my face in her hair.

She smiled up at me before sitting up and turning to straddle my hips.

"Ugh, you are going to be the death of me" I groaned placing my hands on her waist. She smiled down at me and leaned down to kiss my lips, "are you complaining?"

I smiled back at her, "now why would I do a crazy thing like that?"

"I wasn't sure myself" she replied reaching over to the nightstand and grabbing a condom from the carton. During the night we'd made a pretty decent dent in the carton and now she wanted more, after only a few hours of sleep? Okay, so I wanted more too, but still.

&&&

"I forgot to ask you yesterday, querida, how was that guy?" I asked Susannah from the bathroom, putting toothpaste on my toothbrush.

"What guy?" she responded looking up from the bed where she had been lathering up in this flower scented lotion.

"That new dance guy, the one who went to watch you practice yesterday. Is he gonna audition to be your partner?"

"Oh, yeah. He was nice; I really liked him. I think he'll make a good partner" she answered pulling off her towel and getting dressed.

I smiled to myself as I watched her dress and then I finished brushing my teeth and getting dressed.

"So what's his name?" I questioned as we made our way towards the kitchen in search of food.

She gave me a grin and stood on her tiptoes to kiss me before saying, "Paul. Paul Slater."

So that's it for The New Girl. Hope you guys all enjoyed, and don't worry I'm planning a sequel called The New Guy, so watch out for that one sometime within the next couple months.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Love you guys!

-Lauren


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